Project Rebuild
by Ghost Onyx
Summary: Lloyd Garmadon, the Chosen One, stands at the center of the battle between good and evil. Beloved by all as the Green Ninja, hated by all as the son of the evil Lord Garmadon. Under the guidance of the wise Master Wu, Lloyd and his team, the Secret Ninja Force, will need all the help they can get to keep it together and defend the city from Lord Garmadon and greater threats.
1. Not So Ancient Prophecies

**A/N:** I have been notified that chat/script format is against the site's Terms of Service so I have edited this chapter accordingly. Future chapters will be edited as well. Just use your imagination and pretend it's in a script format if that helps.

Yes, this is a Ninjago Movie re-write made to be more in line with the tv show. My goal is to condense the essence of 7 seasons of the tv show into one cohesive story, while following the Lego Ninjago movie.

Feel free to play "Spot the references". This chapter and upcoming chapters will be chock full of them.

 **EXT. MOUNTAIN TOP – NIGHT**

 **TWO FIGURES** stand locked in combat against each other atop a tall and craggy mountain. Rain pours down heavily. Lightning crackles and thunder booms to emphasize every movement. Blow after furious blow is struck.

Lightning strikes illuminate the faces of the combatants. We see a close up of **MASTER WU** , a wise-looking old man with a long white beard. He wears a white robe and a conical hat. His weapon is a long, wooden staff.

Opposite him is his brother, **LORD GARMADON** , a far taller adversary owing to his towering horned helmet and double torso that sports four arms. He wears black samurai armor that matches his skin, which has been charred black due to his corruption. His red, glowing eyes are also signs of his corruption. His weapons are four katanas, one in each hand.

Despite Lord Garmadon's extra arms, Master Wu defends himself well. The two appear locked in a stalemate.

Lord Garmadon makes a demonic, fanged smile as he speaks.

"You will never defeat me, brother." says Lord Garmadon.

"It is not my destiny to defeat you. But it will be your son's." Master Wu counters

Angered, Lord Garmadon uses his swords to push Master Wu away in a burst of energy.

"You leave Luh-loyd out of this!" Garmadon shouts.

Master Wu remains calm but his eyes fixed on Lord Garmadon. His voice is resolute.

"One day, your son, **LLOYD GARMADON** , will defeat you, as the prophecy foretold. I invoke it!"

A powerful burst of thunder and lightning strikes ominously as Wu says this. We pan up to see a large object fall from the sky. It is a non-Lego fortune cookie. It breaks apart as it crashes on the ground, revealing the fortune prophecy within written in glowing, gold ink.

"Prophecy? Well, two can play at that game. One day, my son, Lloyd Garmadon, will join me and my evil ways." Garmadon says confidently.

"What?!" replies a stunned Master Wu.

"Together, we will conquer Ninjago and we shall be unstoppable, as the prophecy foretold."

"No!"

The two brothers speak simultaneously.

"I…" Garmadon begins.

"You…" Master Wu says at the same time.

"…invoke…"

"…wouldn't…"

"…it."

"…dare!"

Another powerful burst of thunder and lightning strikes ominously as though to punctuate the gravity of their words. Another non-Lego fortune cookie falls from the sky. It falls between the two brothers, causing them to jump away to safety. Both witness the fortune cookie splitting in half before them as the glowing prophecy fortune writes itself into existence.

"Oh, I dare. I have every right to dare. Our entire realm has the power to invoke prophecies on a whim. We control the destinies of every citizen in Ninjago! We should be gods!" a defiant Garmadon exclaims.

"Father would not have wanted this!" Master Wu pleads.

"Well, father is no longer here. We've squandered our potential long enough, brother, and now it is to time to re-make Ninjago in my image."

"I may not be the one to defeat you, Garmadon. But I will make sure you don't succeed."

Lord Garmadon sees something behind Master Wu. He smirks confidently knowing he has the upper hand, all four of them.

"Hey, whatever lets you sleep at night, brother." Garmadon snidely remarks.

A large shark-shaped flying vessel, the **SKY SHARK** , arrives from the clouds. It lowers its anchor, which Lord Garmadon grabs onto as it flies by.

"Looks like my ride's here. Another time, brother." Garmadon says.

Garmadon leaves on the Sky Shark. His evil laughter echoes in the distance. Wu is left on the mountain but he has a determined look on his face.

"I, Master Wu, swear the solemn oath to form a **SECRET NINJA FORCE** to stop Garmadon at every turn. I invoke it." Master Wu says resolutely.

Dramatic thunder strikes. Cut to black as the last fortune cookie falls from the sky.


	2. Believer

**EXT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL – DAY**

We fade in to see a shot of Master Wu from the back as he looks on to see a school campus. The song "Believer" by Imagine Dragons begins playing as an entirely wordless montage sequence of Master Wu recruiting the ninja occurs.

We see a close up of Master Wu in deep thought. We then go into his POV (point of view) shot as he looks at a sign on the right side that reads " **NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL**." The national emblem of Ninjago can also be seen. It is a rectangle with six dots inside, resembling a 3x2 Lego brick standing upright.

 **INT. SCHOOL GYM – DAY**

Several teenage boys are playing a game of dodgeball. We see a close up of one of the boys with a confident look on his face. This is **COLE** , a young man with black tousled hair and long bangs. He has thick, black, bushy eyebrows that accentuate his expressions.

[Song: Believer by Imagine Dragons]

[First things first, I'ma say all the words inside my head]  
Cole throws a dodgeball at his fellow classmate so hard that the other student smashes through the wall of the gym, leaving behind a minifig-shaped hole. Cole sheepishly raises his hands as though to say "whoops".

[I'm fired up and tired of the way that things have been, oh-ooh The way that things have been, oh-ooh]  
Everyone else is freaked out by Cole's super strength and runs away from Cole. Saddened, Cole hangs his head down when he is left alone in the gym. Alone except for one person. Master Wu puts his hand on Cole's shoulder and recruits Cole for his Secret Ninja Force. Cole looks up and smiles.

 **INT. SCHOOL SWIMMING POOL - DAY**

Several students are swimming laps around the pool filled with actual non-Lego water. But one lone student can be seen meditating at the bottom of the pool. Close up on this boy. He is **ZANE** , an unusual young boy with a white crew cut.

[Second things second, don't you tell me what you think that I could be]  
Suddenly, large spikes of non-Lego ice emanate from where Zane is sitting at the bottom of the pool. The ice spreads until it freezes the entire swimming pool with everyone in it. Zane opens his bright blue eyes and is shocked by what he has done.

[I'm the one at the sail, I'm the master of my sea, oh-ooh The master of my sea, oh-ooh]  
Cut to Zane out of the pool while school staff are trying to break the other swimmers out of the ice. Zane is frightened by the angry glares all the swimmers are giving him. Master Wu approaches Zane and puts his hand on Zane's shoulder. Zane turns to Master Wu and sees Cole in the background nervously waving hi. Zane nods and Master Wu recruits Zane. Zane hugs Cole and Cole smiles gleefully.

 **INT. SCHOOL SCIENCE LAB. - DAY**

At a science class, the students are busy working on their experiments. We focus on a freckled boy with messy, dark brown hair. This is **JAY,** a cautious but inventive individual.

[I was broken from a young age, taking my sulking to the masses]  
Jay works furiously on building a potato clock. Several quick shots of Jay taking various items including a non-Lego marble potato, non-Lego galvanized nails and some copper wire. As he takes each of these items, tiny sparks of electricity flow from his hands into the objects.

[Writing my poems for the few That look to me, took to me, shook to me, feeling me]  
Beside Jay is the Lego clock he built. It is connected to the copper wire, connected to the potato. Jay inserts the galvanized nail into the potato and the Lego clock ends up shooting lightning everywhere. The bursts of lightning are synchronized with the beat of the lyrics.

[Singing from heartache from the pain Taking my message from the veins]  
Everyone in the science lab runs out. Master Wu looks under one of the tables and sees Jay, huddled by himself and scared.

[Speaking my lesson to the brain]  
Master Wu recruits Jay. Cole welcomes Jay to the team, patting him on the back.

 **HARD CUT TO:**

 **EXT. SCHOOL SOCCER FIELD – NIGHT**

Bright spotlights illuminate the soccer field as the students are playing a nighttime soccer match. We track an enthusiastic teenager as he rushes to kick the soccer ball into the goal. This is **KAI** , an impulsive young man with a scar running through his right eye. He has incredibly spiky, dark brown hair.

[Seeing the beauty through the...]  
As Kai runs, flames sprout from his back, resembling wings.

[Pain!]  
At "Pain!", we see a slow motion shot of Kai kicking the soccer ball, his fire wings fully extended. Flames emanate from his feet, setting the ball on fire.

[You made me a]  
Now set aflame, the ball hurtles into the goal, setting the goal on fire.

[You made me a believer]  
Kai stands triumphantly for a few moments while the crowd gasps. He doesn't realize he has accidentally set his clothes on fire, leaving him almost entirely naked.

[Believer!]  
We see from behind Kai, a visible shot of Kai's Lego butt, which is basically just a regular set of Lego legs but entirely yellow. In the background, the crowd cringes and looks away.

[Pain!]  
Kai notices his lack of clothing just as the fire spreads to his underwear on his front. His fire wings dissolve into nothing.

[You break me down]  
Ashamed, Kai covers his nether regions and runs to the locker room, crying.

 **INT. SCHOOL LOCKER ROOM – NIGHT**

[And build me up, believer]  
Kai is crying in the locker room. He looks up and sees Cole, who averts his eyes.

[Believer!]  
Without looking at Kai, Cole hands out spare clothes to Kai.

 **INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – NIGHT**

[Pain!]  
Kai comes out of the locker room wearing the new clothes.

[Oh let the bullets fly]  
Master Wu recruits Kai.

[Oh let them rain]  
A person walks by, obstructing our view. As the person leaves, the scene transitions to the same location during daytime.

 **INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY – DAY**

Many students are walking around the hallway. Some are crowded around a bulletin board. On the board is a poster that says "Art Competition Finals".

[My love, my life, my drive, it came from... Pain!]  
A teenage girl runs toward the bulletin board. She is **NYA** , the younger sister of Kai. She sports black wavy hair in a ponytail with long bands and has a small beauty mark on her face. As she runs, Nya tracks water with every step she takes. At "Pain!", a student slips and falls on a puddle of water Nya left behind.

[You made me a, you made me a believer, believer]  
Unaware of the trail of water she leaves behind her, Nya is ecstatic at seeing the art competition poster, so much that globs of water manifest from her hands and the rest of her body. Other students begin to notice. Her power leaves her wet causing others to think she wet herself.

[Third things third, send a prayer to the ones up above]  
The students all laugh at Nya. Ashamed, she runs to the corner dead end of the hallway where no one can see her. She crouches down and starts crying.

[All the hate that you've heard has turned your spirit to a dove, oh-ooh]  
Nya looks up and sees Kai. Kai sits beside his sister and gives her an extra set of clothes.

[Your spirit up above, oh-ooh]  
Nya comes out of the girl's bathroom wearing the new clothes and sees Master Wu and the other ninja. Master Wu recruits Nya.

 **EXT. FIELD – DAY**

[I was choking in the crowd]  
We see the ninja training with Master Wu. They are all wearing black gi uniforms. Master Wu makes a striking motion.

[Building my rain up in the cloud]  
Cole strikes a regular non-Lego brick and breaks it in half.

 **EXT. SNOWY MOUNTAIN - DAY**

[Falling like ashes to the ground]  
Zane leads the others through snow-covered terrain. The others fall down in time with the lyrics. Emphasis on Kai.

[Hoping my feelings, they would drown]  
Cole tries to pick up his teammates but he sinks into the snow himself. Zane goes back and helps everyone out.

 **EXT. MASTER WU'S OBSTACLE COURSE – DAY**

We see the ninja before a complicated obstacle course consisting of several rotating contraptions and wooden dummies.

[But they never did, ever lived, ebbing and flowing, inhibited, limited Till they broke open]  
Jay goes through the obstacle course and dodges every blow from the spinning contraptions and the wooden dummies. His movements are synchronized with the beat of the lyrics.

[And rained down]  
Cole cheers.

[And rained down, like]  
Kai enters the obstacle course. We sees Kai's surprised face as the arm of a wooden dummy comes down on him.

[Pain!]  
We see from behind the wooden dummy as Kai smashes through its arm with a powerful fire kick.

[You made me a, you made me a believer]  
Kai goes literally right through the obstacle course and destroys every obstacle and dummy in the way. His movements are also synchronized with the beat of the lyrics.

[Believer!]  
All the ninja cheer.

[Pain!]  
Reaction shot of Master Wu as he is shocked that Kai demolished his expensive equipment.

 **INT. MASTER WU'S DOJO WAREHOUSE – DAY**

[You break me down and build me up]  
We see a shot of Nya looking at various flat Lego tiles containing blueprints.

[Believer, believer!]  
Everyone cheers as Nya builds the **SAMURAI X MECH.**

[Pain!]  
Cole and Nya do a fist bump in the foreground. The shot is framed such that Jay is in the background in between Cole and Nya. Jay has a shocked face and he covers his mouth as they fist bump.

[Oh let the bullets fly]  
Cole notices Jay has a crush on Nya.

[Oh let them rain]  
Cole calls Jay over.

[My love, my life]  
Jay and Nya do a fist bump.

[My drive]  
Jay blushes.

[It came from… Pain! You made me a, you made me a believer, believer!]  
We see a panning shot of all the ninja lined up as they punch out their element one at a time. Cole leads and the others follow. Earth, Ice, Lightning, Fire, and Water. Master Wu looks on proudly in the corner.

 **INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY LOCKERS – DAY**

We see a young boy with green eyes and blond hair. This is **LLOYD GARMADON** , the son of Lord Garmadon.

[Last things last, by the grace of the fire and the flame]  
Lloyd walks towards his locker and sees the word "Garma-dork" spray painted on it in black paint. He is bullied for being Garmadon's son. Lloyd's green eyes turn red in anger and he pulls up his black hoodie to cover his face.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY STREETS – DAY**

[You're the face of the future, the blood in my veins. oh-ooh]  
Lloyd steals and vandalizes property. He runs out of a candy store with a wheelbarrow carrying a single piece of non-Lego candy.

[The blood in my veins, oh-ooh]  
Master Wu and the ninja confront Lloyd. All the ninja are scared of Lloyd except Cole. Master Wu places his hand on Lloyd's shoulder and recruits him. Lloyd's red eyes turn green and full of hope.

 **EXT. FIELD – DAY**

Again, we see the ninja training with Master Wu, wearing their black gi uniforms.

[But they never did, ever lived]  
Master Wu repeats the same striking motion.

[Ebbing and flowing]  
Lloyd strikes a non-Lego cement hollow brick and breaks it in half. Surprised reaction shot of Cole who cannot believe his eyes.

 **EXT. SNOWY MOUNTAIN - DAY**

[Inhibited, limited, till it broke open]  
Lloyd leads the others through snow-covered terrain but instead of everyone walking, all the other ninja are on snowboards attached to a thread rope. The rope is tied to Lloyd who runs at full speed like a sled dog, pulling all the other ninja along. Kai is having the most fun but the other ninja are just trying to hang on.

 **EXT. MASTER WU'S OBSTACLE COURSE – DAY**

[And rained down, and rained down, like]  
Lloyd goes through obstacle course, dodges every blow and still destroys every obstacle after he has dodged it. All the ninja are amazed. Cole's eyes are full of awe but also slight apprehension from being progressively outclassed by Lloyd with seemingly little effort.

[Pain!]  
Reaction shot of Master Wu with an "I just fixed that!" look on his face.

 **INT. MASTER WU'S DOJO WAREHOUSE – DAY**

[You made me a, you made me a…]  
We see a shot of Lloyd looking at various flat Lego tiles containing blueprints.

[Believer, believer!]  
Everyone except Cole cheers as Lloyd builds all the mechs of the other ninja, the **WATER STRIDER** , the **FIRE MECH** , the **LIGHTNING JET** , the **ICE TANK** , and the **QUAKE MECH**. Cole is now more visibly bitter and cynical. His hair is now tied up in a man bun.

[Pain!]  
Cole quietly leaves the dojo as the others cheer Lloyd on.

[Oh let the bullets fly, oh let them rain]  
Cole runs back into the dojo, frightened. He points outside and gets the others' attention. They all run outside.

 **EXT. OUTSIDE MASTER WU'S DOJO WAREHOUSE – DAY**

[My love, my life, my drive]  
We see the **GREEN DRAGON MECH** that Lloyd built. Cole is frightened by it and cowers behind Zane.

[It came from… Pain!]  
Zane turns to Cole and makes robotic movements indicating that it is a robot, not a real dragon. Cole laughs sheepishly.

[You made me a, you made me a...]  
All the ninja put on their ninja hoods but now, instead of black, they are wearing different colors to match their elemental powers. Lloyd wears green to match his eyes. Cole is the only one who continues to wear black.

[Believer]  
Wide shot of all the ninja jumping in attack formation toward Garmadon and his forces. Secret Ninja Force on the left and Garmadon and his army on the right. The ninja all have their weapons drawn. Jay has a pair of nunchucks. Nya has a spear. Kai has a pair of twin katanas. Lloyd has a broadsword. Cole has a scythe. Zane has a pair of shuriken.

[Believer!]  
Epic slow motion shot of the Secret Ninja Force and Garmadon about to fight each other.

Fade out to black just before they make contact.

* * *

 **A/N:** I call this montage "Everything you need to know about the Ninja in 3 and 1/2 minutes without a single line of dialogue.

There was a deleted scene in this chapter that was a reenactment of the intro in the alternate Day of the Departed. It had Lloyd punching Cole so hard that he got knocked into a pile of equipment and got buried under it. But that would have been overkill. So I took it out.

If anyone is wondering, Lloyd's power isn't "Green". But it will be revealed eventually.

When Cole has his hair tied up in a man bun, I call it the "angry man bun". Spoilers! It's slightly plot relevant.

 **Critics United:** I've edited the first chapter so that it isn't in chat/script format anymore.

 **Zena 1421:** Thanks for the comment! Hope you enjoy the rest!

 **PokerFace:** Thanks for the comment! That definitely sounds like something Wu would do. I can't make any promises but I'll see what I can do. As for the love interest, the closest thing Lloyd will get is Kai. I don't personally ship Greenflame but their interactions in this story can be interpreted as either romantic or an intimate friendship. I'm trying to keep the story as kid-friendly as possible though so nothing squicky.


	3. Birthday Greetings

**INT. LLOYD'S BEDROOM – DAY**

We fade in to see Lloyd sleeping on a futon in his cramped and tiny bedroom. His cell phone begins to ring. The **BORG INDUSTRIES** logo can be seen on it. His phone's ringtone is the chorus of "The Weekend Whip" by The Fold.

[Song: The Weekend Whip by The Fold]

[Just jump up, kick back, whip around and spin! Then we jump back, do it again! Ninja-Go! Ninja-]  
Lloyd wakes up and fumbles around to answer his phone. His eyes open and we see that they are green. He answers his phone and it is his father, Garmadon, on a video call.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Luh-loyd?"

"Dad, how many times do we have to go through this? It's just Lloyd."

"Nuh-uh. L-L-O-Y-D. I named you."

Lloyd sighs, puts his Lego hands to his face and does the minifig equivalent of a facepalm.

"Okay, I know I'm gonna regret this but I'll bite. What is it?" Lloyd cringes.

"What? A conquering warlord can't greet his own son a happy birthday?"

"Oh, uh, that's actually nice of you. Ummm, thanks Dad." Lloyd relaxes.

"And I even got a surprise for you! Now close your eyes. No peeking."

Lloyd closes his eyes.

"I'm not." Lloyd says then he whispers to himself. "Please be a car. Please be a car. Or something mundane."

Garmadon brings the camera phone to another room.

"See, I was working on a new **MEGAWEAPON** and I ended up with a lot of prototypes. I thought it would be a waste for them to just rot in storage so I decided to make something out of them. And so, SURPRISE!"

Lloyd opens his eyes and sees Garmadon showing a room full of various devices and weapons. A **WAR HAMMER** can be seen on top of a pedestal at the center of the room. Beside Garmadon, a dummy dressed in green robes is strapped to a torture rack by the arms and legs. Lloyd is shocked and confused when he sees this.

"I… what?"

"Isn't it great? It's your very own torture chamber! I mean, I was going to use it on that pesky Green Ninja who keeps foiling me at every turn but I was thinking maybe we could both watch that do-gooder suffer together."

Garmadon pulls a lever and the torture rack is activated. It stretches the green dummy, pulling apart its arms and legs. The head and torso fall to the floor comically.

Lloyd is utterly horrified.

"What? Dad, no! I don't want a torture chamber! Why would I even want one?"

Garmadon is genuinely confused.

"But you used to love torture chambers."

"That was just a phase I went through. I'm over it now."

Garmadon is visibly disappointed.

"Oh. I see." Garmadon says then he whispers to himself. "Wow, they really do grow up so fast. One day, bodily dismemberment is your favorite form of entertainment. The next, it's a "violation of human rights."

Garmadon makes air quotes with his Lego hands. He looks back at Lloyd.

"That's okay. I get it. I get it. Physical torture is child's play. You want to move on to something more sophisticated."

"Wait, that's not…"

"How about we spend some quality time together, just the two of us, some father-son bonding?"

"That… doesn't sound so bad."

"Great! What do say you and your old man crash the stock market together and perpetuate wealth inequality?"

"Dad! No! That's not what I meant!"

Garmadon deflates.

"Oh. We could... burn down some orphanages?"

Lloyd facepalms again.

"Dad, you've burned down all the orphanages. There aren't any left."

"All of them?"

"ALL OF THEM!" Lloyd angrily shouts.

"We could make more orphans!"

"Dad! No! That's not… uuugghhh! Please dad! Just for once, can we do something normal and not… evil?"

Both are silent for a beat.

"Wanna… go get some ice cream together?"

Lloyd is exasperated.

"YES! PLEASE! Just no more…"

"Excellent! We'll steal all the ice cream in the city!"

"Auuughhh! DAD, STOP! NO MORE STEALING! NO MORE PROPERTY DAMAGE! NO MORE HURTING OTHER PEOPLE! I'M DONE WITH ALL OF THAT! That's not who I am anymore. I just want a nice normal family bonding experience." Lloyd says then he whispers to himself. "Just trying to have a clean slate here."

Garmadon squints at Lloyd.

"Wait a minute, are you going soft on me, Luh-Loyd?"

"It's not called going soft, Dad. It's called being a decent person. Maybe you should try it sometime."

Garmadon gives Lloyd a judging, condescending stare.

"Sometimes I don't know why I even bother. Until you rediscover the darkness in your heart, you're no son of mine. Unhappy Birthday Luh-loyd."

Garmadon ends the call.

Lloyd flops on his futon and groans.

* * *

 **A/N:** This is essentially the same scene as from the movie but I changed Garmadon's character from "evil and doesn't care about his son" to "evil and loves his son and wants his son to be evil".

It also better explains why everyone hates Lloyd and why it would be hard to believe he is the Green Ninja. They all remember him when he was as evil as his father. Lloyd may be reformed now, but some things are hard to forgive.

Yes, that War Hammer will be plot relevant.

* * *

 **Replies:**

BeBeGirl: Thanks for the comment! There's a lot more awesomeness in store!

StoriesAreMagic: I'm glad you were able to pick up on the homages to the tv show and the concept art references! That's what Project Rebuild is all about!


	4. Love at First Fight

**INT. LLOYD'S APARTMENT KITCHEN - DAY**

Lloyd enters the kitchen and sighs. He takes a bowl and a box of cereal from the counter.

We hear an offscreen voice. "Lloyyyddd! Good morning!"

Lloyd turns around and smiles. From his POV, we see a lady with orange hair kept in a loose bun with red chopsticks. She enters the kitchen carrying a loaf of bread, a purse and some groceries. This is **KOKO,** the mother of Lloyd.

Mid shot of Koko and Lloyd as she lovingly kisses Lloyd on the cheek and grabs a carton of milk from the refrigerator. They talk as Koko makes bowls of milk and cereal for the both of them.

"Mom, hey can we talk about something?"

"Sure, pumpkin pie. About what?"

 **"** Garmadon."

Koko hesitates then passes a bowl of cereal to Lloyd. "Okay?"

 **"** So when you two got together, was Dad, like, a regular guy? Or was he always an evil warlord?"

"I've never told anyone this but now that you're finally sixteen, I think you're old enough to know the truth. Believe it or not, your father wasn't always the evil warlord he is now and he didn't always have four arms. He used to be a pretty normal guy..."

Koko pauses for a beat as we...

 **DISSOLVE TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO CITY SKYLINE - DAY**

"...with quasi-godlike powers, just like his brother and every other citizen of the **CLOUD KINGDOM."** Koko finishes.

Beginning the flashback, we dissolve to a shot of the clouds above the skyline. The clouds are entirely made of white Lego bricks. Then slowly, we pan down to Ninjago City and stop at the exterior of a sushi restaurant. The sign **"OMAKASE SUSHI"** can be seen outside the building.

A man steps out the restaurant entrance, holding a package in his two arms. This is **YOUNG GARMADON**. He has black hair tied in a man bun, which is very similar, if not identical, to Cole's Lego hair piece. He also has thick black eyebrows, similar to Cole but he has red eyes. His skin is normal yellow Lego skin.

A thief runs past Garmadon and grabs the package.

"Hey! My sushi!" Garmadon shouts.

The thief runs into an alleyway and Garmadon chases after him. We follow the thief as he turns several corners and laughs, thinking he has lost Garmadon. But the thief stops and reacts to a shadow that looms over him and jumps down on him.

As Garmadon runs to the corner, we hear several noises of someone getting hit off screen. Garmadon begins instinctively invoking prophecies to get his way.

"You will stop running and give me back my sushi! I invo…"

Garmadon turns the corner and sees an armor-clad warrior with Kabuki face paint standing triumphantly over the body of the thief. This is **LADY IRON DRAGON** , the alter ego of Lloyd's mother, Koko. Her orange locks flow out the back of her helmet.

Koko, as Lady Iron Dragon, holds out the package of sushi towards Garmadon. Garmadon is absolutely smitten.

 **CUT TO: PRESENT – INT. LLOYD'S APARTMENT KITCHEN - DAY**

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Are you saying you were a vigilante?" Lloyd interrupts.

"Well… yes. But after that incident, I wasn't the only one." Koko says.

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK– EXT. TOP OF TALL BUILDING – NIGHT**

Koko and Garmadon jump into view as they survey Ninjago City below them. Koko is dressed as Lady Iron Dragon while Garmadon is suited up as a black clad ninja. Garmadon pulls down his black ninja hood and all that is visible from his face are his burning red eyes.

 **CUT TO: PRESENT – INT. LLOYD'S APARTMENT KITCHEN - DAY**

"Wait a minute, you and Dad were both actually crime-fighting vigilantes?" Lloyd asks.

"I suppose we were, honey. We were all young and silly once. Just a couple of crazy kids." Koko laughs.

"And Dad was an actual do-gooder?"

"Well... sort of."

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO BANK - NIGHT**

A thief tries to rob the bank. Koko and Garmadon swoop down on the unsuspecting bank robber. They beat up the robber.

The police arrive and Koko gives the money back to the bank but we pan over to Garmadon as he continues to beat up the robber even when the police are there.

Chief of Police, **OFFICER TOQUE** , stands next to Koko. He holds a pair of handcuffs and crosses his arms as though saying "Is he done yet?". Koko smiles awkwardly and shrugs.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. BRIDGE OF PUPPIES – DAY**

We see a wide bridge over an elevated canal. A sign reading " **BRIDGE OF PUPPIES** " can be seen. At the center of the bridge is a Lego brick-built statue of a dog. Many puppies are playing around this statue.

A thug comes up and starts kicking the puppies left and right. Koko and Garmadon come to the rescue of the puppies and beat up the thug. The scene plays out as we hear Koko's continued voice over.

 **"** We were an unstoppable power couple and we loved every moment of it. It was the happiest time of my life."

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. PARK WEDDING GROUNDS – DAY**

"The next thing we knew, we were married."

Close up shot of Garmadon kissing Koko at their wedding. Koko is wearing a wedding gown and Garmadon is wearing a tuxedo. Pull back to a wide shot, revealing a sign that says " **PARK OF HAPLESS ROMANCES** ".

 **FLASHBACK – INT. KOKO AND GARMADON'S APARTMENT – NIGHT**

"When you were born, I had to take care of you which meant I couldn't go out and fight crime as much."

Koko is preparing baby formula for Lloyd. Holding the bottle, she is about to open a sliding door to enter the other room but spies through the opening. She smiles as she sees Garmadon taking care of a baby. This is **BABY LLOYD.** Baby Lloyd has green eyes. Garmadon entertains Baby Lloyd with a green dragon toy.

But all of a sudden, Garmadon laughs evilly and his eyes shine brightly red. Matching his father, Baby Lloyd also laughs evilly and his green eyes momentarily turn red. Koko watches this and is secretly horrified.

Koko inhales, then exhales and fakes a smile as she enters the room. Garmadon hands over Baby Lloyd to Koko and puts on his black ninja hood.

"Your father had to go on solo missions for the both of us."

Garmadon leaves and Koko feeds the milk formula to Baby Lloyd.

"But I noticed he was spending more and more time fighting crime than staying at home with us."

We see a wall clock showing that it is 7 pm. The scene cross dissolves to show the passage of time and the clock now shows that it is 12 midnight. Baby Lloyd has fallen asleep in Koko's arms.

"So one day, I followed him."

Koko tucks Lloyd in his crib and puts on her Lady Iron Dragon helmet.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. PARK OF HAPLESS ROMANCES – NIGHT**

Koko follows Garmadon as he makes his way to the Park of Hapless Romances. She spies on him.

A thug is about to attack a man desperately pulling a rickshaw. Riding inside the rickshaw are a small boy and a pregnant woman seemingly going into labor. The small boy has spiky hair. The thug jumps out of his hiding place and is about to attack the rickshaw driver and the passengers when Garmadon appears and delivers a swift counterattack. The rickshaw passes by unharmed and rushes off to the nearest hospital.

Garmadon is in a defensive stance but he isn't beating up the thug. Instead, he is talking to the thug. Koko overhears their conversation.

"Look! You're going about this all wrong. Petty crime won't get you anywhere. If you really want to hit it big, join me and my forces." Garmadon tells the thug.

"What are you talking about?" The thug snaps back.

 **"** I'm building an army to take over this city and I need loyal soldiers. The pay isn't great but it does come with health insurance, paid time off and a comprehensive retirement package."

"Including dental?"

"Including dental. Oh and just so you know. if you plan on declining my generous offer, I can still invoke you into joining me anyway and I **will** take over Ninjago if I have to invoke every single person into submission one at a time."

We see a shot of Koko hiding behind some trees. She puts a hand to her mouth in shock. We continue to hear her voice over.

"I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

Koko jumps out of her hiding place and draws a sword. She points her sword at Garmadon and the thug in defense and yells directly at them.

"What is going on here?" Koko yells.

Garmadon has a "Deer in the headlights" look for a split second but recovers quickly and punches the thug, knocking all his teeth out. Garmadon starts beating up the thug.

"Take that you ruffian!" exclaims Garmadon.

Garmadon mercilessly beats up the thug. Koko tries to intervene because she knows Garmadon is just trying to avoid the real issue.

A loud burst of dramatic thunder strikes and all sound is muted for the rest of the flashback.

Slow motion shot of Koko and Garmadon being very emotional. They are shouting at each other but we don't hear any of their words. This culminates in Koko breaking up with Garmadon. Garmadon has a look of hurt, then anger. Koko has the look of one betrayed.

Koko walks away from Garmadon as sad piano music begins playing. Thunder strikes again and rain begins to pour down heavily.

The flashback ends and we dissolve back to present day.

 **CUT TO: PRESENT – INT. LLOYD'S APARTMENT KITCHEN - DAY**

"And now I have you." Koko says.

"Wow! That's... that's something."

"It sure is. Now honey, is there anything important you'd like to tell me?"

"Not... really?" Lloyd looks away and tries to avoid eye contact.

"Nothing at all?"

"Ummm..." Lloyd looks around the room.

"You can be totally honest and open with me."

"What I'd like to say is..." Lloyd pauses for a beat. **"**...I love you very much?"

Koko tries to hide her disappointment. She inhales, then exhales and fakes a smile.

"Alright, I love you too, sweetie. Go have a Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks Mom! I'll try my best."

"Of course you will! And remember, if your Dad attacks the city again today, just be sure to..."

They both speak at the same time. **"**...duck and cover until the Secret Ninja Force gives the all clear."

 **"** Got it, Mom. Oh and Mom?"

"Yes honey?"

"Thanks for believing in me, even when no one else did."

* * *

 **A/N:** OMG! You guys thank you all sooooo much for the reviews! They really mean a lot to me and they really give me the motivation to write especially since this was a difficult chapter to write because I don't have much experience with flashbacks before. I've also made the decision to have scenes based on the toy sets, or at least characters from the sets. This chapter might have a Piranha Chase vibe. Officer Toque is also a character from the sets.

Yes, Garmadon and Wu are from the Cloud Kingdom. More on that in future chapters.

This isn't really plot relevant but in case you pick up on it, the spiky haired small boy is Kai. The pregnant woman is Maya and the man pulling the rickshaw is Ray. It didn't rain because the scene needed to be dramatic. It rained because Nya was being born.

If you want to see what Young Garmadon looked like, go to Youtube and watch the deleted scene from the Ninjago movie called "The Dock". That design choice was a deliberate choice by Lego, with their vast and diverse selection of hair pieces and minifig designs. All I'm doing is writing a reason to justify that choice.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **StoriesAreMagic:** What was that again you said about the Garmadon and the War Hammer and Cole? Well,this should give you more hints.

 **Zira:** Thanks! I'll try my best!

 **BeBeGirl:** Yes, I'm making sure the citizen's hatred for Lloyd is justified.

 **LEB:** I can promise it'll get even more epic!

 **Scream Queen:** Thanks for the comments! Also, on the new season, I don't want to spoiler you but if you've seen episode 2, there's a bit in the episode where Lloyd and Cole spar and Cole has a War Hammer. That scene so PERFECTLY parallels a scene that will happen in a future chapter, but with different characters.

 **Chic:** Welp, Garmadon only wants a son that's just like him. But oh my! Young Garmadon suspiciously looks just like Cole. I wonder what this could possible be leading up to?

 **PipesGreen:** Maybe Lloyd wants a car so he can drive to school instead of take the bus. Hehe.

 **Kaffe:** Yup! I am definitely adding new scenes that weren't in the movie. The first 2 chapters already had a few. The cheerleader's "Boo Lloyd" routine will also be in this story but it won't become a hit song on the radio. There will still be Daddy issues in this story but they won't be the only focus. The other ninja will definitely get a lot more characterization.

 **LavanderBell:** Thanks for the comments! Here you go!

 **JJWolf:** Thanks so much for that comment! I wish I could have been the one to write the script too.

 **JadeBlue:** We'll see about that.

 **Dena:** And your wish is yours to keep!

 **ShyChick:** Lloyd has it both easier and harder than his peers. Easier because he has instant mastery of his skills and harder because he has to live up to expectations and deal with the consequences of his past evil self.


	5. Highschool Hijinks & Mommy Issues

**EXT. BUS STOP – DAY**

The song "Operation New Me" begins playing.

[SONG: Operation New Me by Jingle Punks]

[Out the door and I'm ready to go-oh]  
Lloyd walks up to his other classmates as the bus stop.

"Hello!" Lloyd says as he waves hi.

[It's me version 2.0 –oh, Here's something you never see it, makes it right]  
None of Lloyd's classmates want to associate with him. They tear up Lego bricks from the surrounding area and build a literal brick wall in between them and Lloyd. They shun him, looking the other way with arms crossed, chins up and eyes closed.

[People talking about my dad's situation]  
The bus arrives and Lloyd walks into the bus. Everyone is fighting in a rowdy dust ball of violence. The moment Lloyd steps into the middle of the aisle, everyone stops whatever they were doing and sits down, glaring at Lloyd. There are a few empty seats left.

[I'll always be the shame of the nation]  
Lloyd's other classmates rush into the bus, shoving Lloyd out of the way and claiming the few remaining seats.

"Hey!" Lloyd exclaims as he is roughly shoved to the side.

[Could it be that they'll never see me as me]  
Lloyd sits down in the last remaining free seat. Someone tosses a crumpled piece of paper at him. Lloyd unfolds it and he sees a crude drawing of himself in black Overlord robes when he used to be evil.

[Operation New Me]  
After taking a seat, Lloyd looks at his other classmates and sees they all moved to the other side of the bus.

[Operation New Me]  
Lloyd looks out the window and forces a smile but it melts away quickly as the bus starts to move.

[If you don't like what the world's saying Time to start a new conversation]  
The bus is entirely tilted to one's side as it moves.

 **EXT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL - DAY**

[You are not a no one]  
Panning shot of Ninjago High School as the bus rolls into view.

[Deep down you're a top gun]  
Shot of multiple students entering the school either by foot, skateboard or bike.

[Be your own wingman, Wheels up to the sky]  
Lloyd steps out of the bus and surveys the area. The bus door slams shut and the music cuts abruptly.

Sounds of students chattering all silence when Lloyd comes into view . Everyone glares at Lloyd. Lloyd slowly walks to the school entrance. As he passes by, he can hear the other students whispering about him behind his back.

"Shhhh. That's the kid I was telling you about."

 **"** He and his dad ruin everything."

"I don't even think that's his real eye color. Ever notice how his eyes only started being consistently green around the same time the Green Ninja started showing up? What a copycat!"

Lloyd can feel everyone's gaze on him as he walks. But suddenly Zane slides in and diffuses the tension. Lloyd's mood lightens up considerably.

 **"** Hello fellow teenager!" Zane says with a chipper voice but with a very robotic inflection.

"Zane, buddy! How ya been?" Lloyd answers back.

"Man, my mom is on my case all the time! She's like..." Zane makes modem dial up noises as his face glitches. "... and I'm like 'Lay off Mom! I'm just a teenager!'"

"I hear that!"

"Anyway, my internal calendar indicates that today is the anniversary of your birth. Would you care for a sugar-based confectionery delight? I baked it this morning."

Zane offers Lloyd a box of lime green Lego stud cupcakes (round 1x1 with swirled top).

"Ooooh! Matcha! My favorite!"

Lloyd grabs a cupcake and takes a bite.

"Mmmmm. Thanks Zane!" Lloyd speaks with his mouth full.

Lloyd and Zane walk up to the school doors. Lloyd pushes the double doors open.

 **INT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL - DAY**

On the other side of the hallway is Kai.

"Bro!" Kai jumps up, shouting, and waves to get Lloyd's attention. "Dude, gimme a hug, man! Gimme a birthday hug!"

Kai walks up to Lloyd with his arms wide open.

"Kai!" Lloyd answers back.

"That's a good one!" Kai says as he tackles Lloyd in a tight embrace.

Lloyd struggles to breathe, helpless in Kai's grip.

 **"** Birthday hug?" Zane asks. "Let me get in on that! I'll increase the pressure dramatically."

Zane walks toward Kai and Lloyd and wraps his arms around them. He squeezes them tightly.

"Zane! Zane! ZANE!" Lloyd says as he struggles even more desperately.

We hear a distinct and audible **CRUNCHING NOISE** , like something being broken. Lloyd grunts.

Zane releases Lloyd and Kai. Lloyd takes deep breaths.

"Haha! Good one, Zane!" Kay says.

"Yeah!" Lloyd huffs as he tries to breathe again. "Good, just... give me a moment... where are the others?"

 **SMASH CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS - DAY**

We see a close up of Cole as he listens to "In the End" by Linkin Park on his radio boom box at full volume. He has his hair down.

[SONG: In The End by Linkin Park]

[I tried so hard and got so far]  
Cole has a despondent look on his face. He has mostly resigned himself to his fate as the once great ex-leader of the Secret Ninja Force.

[But in the end, it doesn't even matter]  
We see from Cole's POV, Jay is in front of him, chatting enthusiastically. His voice is being drowned out by the music.

[I had to fall to lose it all, but it the end, it doesn't even matter]  
We see a mid shot of Cole and Jay leaning on Lloyd's locker as the music dies down and Jay's voice becomes audible.

Jay has a long strip of paper in his hands. He is reading his fortune prophecy out loud.

"'Your **MASTER BUILDER** application has been received. Ask again later.' Auuughhh! But what does that mean? Did I get in? Did I not get in? What if Nya gets in and I don't? I feel so excited and nervous at the same time! I just... auuugghhh!

Jay grabs a hold of Cole's shoulders and shakes him back and forth wildly. Cole smiles softly and pats Jay on the back as though to say "There there."

"Maybe I should ask Lloyd how he got in." Jay whispers to himself. He then turns to Cole and asks "What does yours say?"

Cole wordlessly takes out his fortune prophecy and unfolds it. He shows it to Jay without saying anything. It is completely blank. Cole's facial expression is equally empty.

"Lazy writing huh? That's rough." Jay muses.

Cole sighs, folds his fortune prophecy and returns it to his pocket. He closes his eyes and continues listening to music.

A couple of kids approach the lockers shaking cans of black spray paint. Jay sees them and tries to give them a death glare but he is not intimidating enough. Cole opens his eyes, notices them and gives them a proper death glare.

The kids back away slowly. As the bullies leave, Zane, Kai and Lloyd come into view, completely unaware of the bullies' presence.

"Jay! Cole! What's up?" Lloyd exclaims.

Cole turns off his boom box and smiles softly. It is a genuine smile, but his eyes betray a certain sadness.

"Look! No one messed with your locker today! Happy Birthday!" Jay says proudly.

Jay and Cole step aside to show Lloyd's spotless locker.

"Thanks guys!" Lloyd says as he gives Jay and Cole the Lego equivalent of a high five.

A loud roaring sound is heard as Nya rides in through the school's hallways on her motorbike. The motorcycle's tires screech noisily as she stops just in front of the other Ninja.

"NO MOTORBIKES IN THE HALLWAY!" A passing teacher yells at her for not following school guidelines.

"I HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION!" Nya shouts back.

"OKAY!" The teacher shouts and walks away.

"Hey Nya!" Lloyd says.

Nya turns to Lloyd and the others.

"Yo bro!" Nya says as she waves her hand.

"What's up sis?" Kai greets his sister.

 **"** Oh hey, actual bro!"

"Hey, Nya! Where'd you get that bike? At the great stuff store?" Jay hollers at Nya. He then turns to Cole and whispers "Nya is so boss!"

Jay latches on to Cole's arm and Cole rolls his eyes.

"Guys! Check out my new paint job! On my new BIKE! 'Cause I made them both myself!" Nya says as she proudly presents her bike.

"Cool!" Everyone else unanimously proclaims.

"It's the Lady Iron Dragon! My HERO!" Nya gestures with her hands in enthusiasm.

We see a close up of Nya's painting. Then we see a close up of Lloyd's face. He sees the image and has a knowing look in his eyes. He recognizes Lady Iron Dragon as the vigilante alter-ego of his mother, Koko.

"Have I ever told you guys the legend of Lady Iron Dragon?" Nya asks offhandedly.

Kai and Jay answer at the same time.

"Only like a thousand times..." Kai answers dismissively.

"No, you haven't!" Jay eagerly interrupts.

Kai facepalms. Nya goes on storyteller mode. Everyone huddles around Nya.

"Many years ago, before the Secret Ninja Force protected this city, Ninjago was safeguarded by a mysterious vigilante. She was called the Lady Iron Dragon. But to know the legend of Lady Iron Dragon, we have to go back, way way back."

"Ooooh, story time?" Zane chimes in. "This calls for a round of sugar-based confectionery delights!"

Zane takes out his box of matcha cupcakes and offers one to each of his friends. They each take one and eat it. After Zane offers Cole the last cupcake, Cole leans on Zane's shoulder. The others speak while eating their cupcakes.

We pan over to Kai.

"Oh man! Zane, these are amazing! I wish I had a mom who could bake like you!"

We pan over to Nya.

"I wish I had a mom who could be Lady Iron Dragon!"

We pan over to Lloyd.

Lloyd smiles awkwardly at this but no one notices.

We pan over to Jay.

"I'm actually super uncomfortable with wishes and what if scenarios so I am perfectly content with my current mom. And also my dad."

Nya leans into view and pats her boyfriend on the back. We then pan over to Cole and hold on him. He does not comment his thoughts on his mother. While the others are finishing their cupcakes, Cole instead takes a shiny black rock out of his pocket and looks at it wordlessly before placing it back. It is shard of **ONYX** , the Stone of Strength.

Cole looks back up at the others and Nya continues her story.

"So anyway, many years ago, Ninjago was a small, peaceful village..."

* * *

 **A/N:** Oh my! It seems my pen name has gotten a bit spoilery.

Anyway, this chapter mostly follows the movie but gives more impact to the things they do and say, or don't say. You may notice Cole doesn't speak except for that bit when everyone says "Cool" at the same time. As far as I know, Cole has doesn't say a single line of dialogue in this part of the movie either until Garmadon attacks. Also, more characterization for everyone else.

I apologize if this chapter doesn't feel like a complete chapter. I split this chapter and the next one into 2 because I didn't want it to be too long. Lady Iron Dragon backstory coming up in the next chapter. It's gonna be something really next level!

Lastly, quick question! Would you prefer shorter chapters that I can upload on a regular weekly basis or longer chapters that would take longer to update. Please feel free to leave a review and include your answer so I can take your preferences into account.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **StoriesAreMagic:** Baby Lloyd is love and so is tiny Kai! As for the Cole, Lloyd and Garmadon subplots, well you'll just have to see where it goes. They all have some affinity for the color black.

 **Chic:** Thanks for the comments! These chapters aren't easy to write, so I really appreciate the input.

 **PipesGreen:** Movie Misako deserves more love and she will get it! The next chapter will be the backstory of Lady Iron Dragon, before she met Garmadon. Yes, I'm sure she's smart enough to have figured out Lloyd is the Green Ninja by now. She just wants Lloyd to be open with her about it. Otherwise, she'll worry that Lloyd doesn't entirely trust her.

 **BebeGirl:** Yes, that is roughly what Lloyd is like. He just needs a lot of love.

 **Scream Queen:** Like I told PipesGreen, Movie Misako deserves more love and she will get it! I promise you will love the next chapter. She will definitely get her own character arc.

 **LEB:** Thanks! Just trust me when I say it's gonna be some next level stuff.

 **PokerFace:** No worries and thanks for the comments! Yeah, the citizens in the Ninjago movie were unreasonably mean. (They kinda deserved the cat, Meowthra). But that's why I'm fixing it. And there's no need to hold back with your comments. I really appreciate them because that means my chapters have left an impact.

 **ShyChick:** Perhaps deciding to be the Green Ninja is Lloyd's own way of trying to atone for his past actions. But he can't do it alone, even if his powers surpass everyone else's. Saving the people who hate him on a daily basis is only possible because Lloyd has a great support system. Though sometimes, he may take even that for granted.

 **Zira:** Garmadon loves Lloyd and he's still pretty evil and needs to be held accountable for his actions. But yes, just trust that it's going to be awesome.

 **QueenofHearts** : Thanks so much for the comments! Based on the episodes that have released (3 so far), looks like I will be using parts of season 8. Not a lot but some lines will be lifted and given to different characters and I will reveal what happened to Cole's mom, as foreshadowed by this chapter. Also, spiders. Lots of spiders.

 **Dena:** Good question! I hadn't really thought of that. But Lady Iron Dragon knows Officer Toque, so it's within the realm of possibility that she pulled some strings. They probably sorted it out and Lloyd had to do some kind of community service, returning and repairing everything he stole and/or vandalized.

 **OfArch** : Oh yes! Garmadon was a blast to write!


	6. Secret Protectors

As Nya continues her story in voice over form, we...

 **DISSOLVE TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO VILLAGE - DAY**

"In this village, there lived a young girl who was brave and fearless." Nya narrates in a voice over.

We see a lively, young girl with orange hair. This is **YOUNG KOKO** , whom only Lloyd recognizes.

"She was a seeker of hidden truths."

Young Koko takes out a magnifying glass and uses it to look at her surroundings.

"Leaving no stone unturned, she wanted to explore all of Ninjago to uncover her many secrets. She climbed the highest of trees, entered the darkest of caves and ventured into places where no one else dared to go. Like many other children her age, she roamed the lands completely unsupervised, as was the custom of Ninjago."

Young Koko emerges from underneath a large non-Lego rock. We see a montage sequence of Young Koko exploring the various terrains of Ninjago. She climbs trees, enters a dark cave while holding a lit torch, and makes her way through dense non-Lego jungle foliage.

"But it was only a matter of time before it got her into trouble, as would be realistically expected."

We see Young Koko trying to cross a rickety old log over a river of non-Lego water. The log breaks and she falls into the river. She struggles to stay afloat but the strong current carries her away. The river leads to a waterfall and she is helpless to avoid it. The waterfall drops into the ocean and she panics before inevitably going under.

We see from her POV as her sight begins to dim. The last thing she sees is the silhouette of a giant fish coming towards her.

We fade out.

 **CUT TO: PRESENT – INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS - DAY**

Lloyd, Jay, Cole and Zane all gasp simultaneously! Nya has a knowing smile on her face. Kai is disinterested as he already knows the story but indulges his sister anyway. He rolls his eyes but also smiles.

"Well, don't stop there! What happened next?" Lloyd exclaims in a anxious tone.

"Something she did not expect." Nya answers firmly.

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN - DAY**

We slowly fade in, still following Young Koko's POV.

As Young Koko awakens and regains her sight, the scene transitions to **LIVE ACTION MEDIUM**. Young Koko is no longer a Lego plastic minifigure. She appears as a large scale, wooden, Bunraku-style puppet. She is inside a transparent dome bubble. The craftsmanship is not necessarily professionally done but must be within the capacity of a very promising and talented high school student from a prestigious school, who is being mentored by a very skilled Industrial Design teacher and with access to all the right materials, possibly funded by winning many art competitions.

Everything in the underwater section of the flashback is done in the style of a low budget version of the Realm of Shadows Live Play. The surroundings are a brilliant oceanscape.

A glowing puppet of a Koi fish appears before Young Koko. This is the **SACRED KOI** , a mythical creature of Ninjago's oceans. The Sacred Koi speaks in the voice of whoever is telling the story. Here, she has Nya's voice.

"Greetings, little one. I am the Sacred Koi of Ninjago. I am a Friend to All, even the most friendless and shunned individuals." The Sacred Koi speaks.

"Oh Sacred Koi! You saved me! Thank you!" Young Koko replies with much gratitude.

"I was only doing what was right."

"How can I ever repay you?"

"There is no repayment necessary. But there is something you can do. Your heart is strong, little one. But a strong heart without purpose is nothing."

"What should I do?" asks Young Koko.

 **HARD CUT TO: PRESENT – INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS – DAY**

"And do you know what the Sacred Koi said?" Nya tantalizes her friends with the end of her story.

"Oh! Oh! I know this one! She said..." Zane jumps up and waves his arms.

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN – DAY**

"You must protect those who cannot protect themselves." The Sacred Koi speaks with Zane's voice in a gentle manner.

Young Koko inhales and composes herself. She looks the Sacred Koi in the eye and speaks with a firm resolution.

"Yes! I will." Young Koko firmly replies.

"You must do this, not to seek personal glory, but to right the wrongs of the world. You must do this even if no one else knows about your deeds. Will you swear the solemn oath?" asks the Sacred Koi.

"I swear the solemn oath to protect those who cannot protect themselves." Young Koko puts her right hand to her heart to pledge an oath.

Bubbles rise from the bottom of the screen as we transition back to **STOP MOTION-ESQUE CGI ANIMATION.** Young Koko is a plastic Lego minifigure again.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO VILLAGE – DAY**

"And the little girl kept the oath over the years." Nya continues narrating in voice over form.

A young boy with black hair has fallen out of his wheelchair and struggles to get back up. This is **YOUNG CYRUS BORG**. Young Koko rushes to his side and helps him back up.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO CITY – DAY**

Many years later, we see an **ADULT CYRUS BORG** still on his wheelchair and now wearing a pair of glasses. A black-hooded figure steps in front of him, brandishing a bright green blade. All that can be seen are his eyes, which are a dull orange and covered in red and green face paint.

Cyrus Borg shrinks away from the threatening figure. A now adult Koko suddenly jumps in as Lady Iron Dragon. She roundhouse-kicks the hooded figure away from Cyrus Borg and off the screen.

"That little girl grew up to become the Lady Iron Dragon." Nya narrates.

We see a close up of Lady Iron Dragon standing heroically in a dramatic stance. We then cross dissolve to the Lady Iron Dragon painting on Nya's bike in the present.

 **CROSS DISSOLVE TO: PRESENT – INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS – DAY**

We see a close up shot of Nya talking.

"She fought to protect the good citizens of Ninjago."

We go to a close up shot of Cole who stops listening to Nya talking because he hears something in the distance due to his **SUPER SENSITIVE HEARING**. He looks around trying to see what caught his attention.

"And she would do anything to defend what was right. No one ever found out who she really was. And if anyone ever did, it was their secret to keep." Nya continues narrating off screen.

Cole sees the same bullies who wanted to spray paint Lloyd's locker earlier. They are now carrying a short, non-Lego straw and some wet wads of paper to use to make a spitball. They hurry away to a nearby building where they can take a shot at targeting Lloyd.

We go to a close up of Nya. "Then one day, she vanished…

"…without a trace." As Nya finishes, we go to a wide shot of everyone to reveal that Cole has disappeared. But no one notices this.

 **CUT TO: INT. ADJACENT SCHOOL BUILDING – DAY**

Cole stealthily follows the bullies to an adjacent building where they can shoot a spitball at Lloyd through an open window. Cole catches them in the act.

The shot is framed in such a way that is similar to when Garmadon tried to persuade the thug to join his army in chapter 4.

"Hey! Whatcha got there?" Cole asks assertively.

"None of your business, punk." The first bully replies.

"Listen. I know Lloyd can be a bit… **much**." Cole attempts to diffuse the situation. But the way Cole hesitates to say this says a lot about his relationship with Lloyd. "But that is no reason to chuck spit balls at him."

"Just leave us alone and mind your own business!" The second bully spits his reply.

Cole narrows his eyes and intercepts the bullies. He grabs both bullies by the shirts and pulls them close.

" **Listen here!** I am **not** okay with bullying but I **will not hesitate** to use physical strength and intimidation if you mess with Lloyd, especially on his birthday."

Intense percussive music plays as Cole says this.

 **HARD CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS – DAY**

We cut back to Nya and the others. We see a mid shot of everyone huddled together.

"Whatever happened to Lady Iron Dragon? Who knows? But rumors say she's still out there, waiting, watching." Nya concludes her story.

We go to a close up shot of Lloyd.

"Yeah, a real mystery for the ages." Lloyd says with a forced smile.

We cut to a wide shot to reveal that Cole has reappeared as though nothing had happened. No one has even noticed his disappearance. He remains as silent and stoic as ever.

 **CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY**

We see a trio of cheerleaders walking down the hallway, carrying brightly colored pom poms. Two of them are female. Their apparent leader is a male with short brown hair and a blue cheerleader's vest. This is **CHEN THE CHEERLEADER.**

As they walk by, we see a shot from a low angle that shows the ceiling above them. Chen the cheerleader and his lackeys pass by the two bullies from earlier who are now stuck to the ceiling with the wet wads of paper. The bullies struggle to get Chen's attention but he just keeps on walking.

 **INT. SCHOOL LOCKERS – DAY**

Chen and the other cheerleaders walk in and sees Lloyd and his friends. He takes this opportunity to taunt them.

"Hey, everyone, look! It's Garma-dork and the dork squad! You wanna hear our new cheer?"

Chen and the cheerleaders get into formation and do their routine.

"L-L-O-Y-D. His dad is bad and so is he! Boo, Lloyd! Boo, Lloyd!"

"BOO LLOYD!" Chen loudly finishes.

"Hey! Back off man! Lloyd's actually trying to be good now." Kai is quick to defend Lloyd. He protectively stands between Chen and Lloyd.

"And what if I don't? What are you gonna do about it, Spiky? Hit me?" Chen leans in towards Kai's face in an attempt to intimidate him.

Kai is visibly aggravated. His fists are shaking in fury.

"Kai, it's okay, really. Remember. Deep breaths. Deep breaths." Lloyd tries to calm him down, worried he might accidentally use his fire powers. He grabs Kai's arm.

Kai inhales and exhales. His fists stop shaking but his face is still filled with contempt. He glares down at Chen.

"Sticks and stones may break my bones but I'm calling you out on your unnecessary verbal abuse and will report you to the proper authorities!"

"Whatever loser!" Deciding it is not worth his time, Chen rolls his eyes and walks away.

"Why I'd like to give them a piece of my..." Kai's plastic hands begin shaking violently again. He struggles to keep his inner fire quelled.

"Kai, we talked about this." Lloyd firmly takes Kai's hands in his own.

Kai shows restraint.

"I know, I know, we're the good guys. Arson is wrong."

"That's right, buddy, and I just want to say I really appreciate you standing up for me." Lloyd assures Kai.

In the background, Cole has a distant look on his face.

The school bell rings as we...

 **SMASH CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY**

The chorus of "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence is playing **very loudly** on full volume.

[SONG: Bring Me To Life by Evanescence]

[WAKE ME UP! WAKE ME UP INSIDE!]  
We see a close up of Cole with his headphones on. He is tapping his hand despondently to the music. On his desk are two books, implying he's been reading them. They are "Rock Solid Stoicism" and "Batman's Guide to Not Opening Up About Your Feelings: The Pre-Character Development Edition". Cole taps his plastic hand on these two books.

[CAN'T WAKE UP! WAKE ME UP INSIDE!  
Save me! Call my name and save me from the dark!]  
We go to a wide shot of the classroom as the music dulls down. The teacher, **MS. LAUDITA** , is teaching the class about the concept of free will. On the black board "FREE WILL?" is written in chalk.

"For example, if I move from here to over there, is it just me walking or is there some unseen hand that moves me from point A to point B?" Ms. Laudita demonstrates to the class.

[Bid my blood to run, **before I come undone** ]  
We focus on Cole as the music becomes clear and distinct again. Cole looks distantly out the window.

Suddenly, we slam zoom out the window and away from Cole and the classroom, past several buildings, past the marketplace, past the beach front, and all the way out into the ocean. From the water's depths, several aquatic themed vehicles rise. Multiple aquatic themed flying vehicles also swoop in. Their jet engines make a very loud vibrating or roaring noise.

[Save me from the nothing I've become]  
We cut back to Cole as he takes off his headphones. He hears the sounds of Garmadon's approaching army and he has a startled look on his face.

"Garmadon!" Cole blurts out loud.

* * *

 **A/N:** And here we have our first ever reference to outside the Ninjago world/Realm. I'm deliberately leaving it open to interpretation as to whose imagination this is all taking place in. Feel free to headcanon it as Finn's imagination, continuing from the Lego Movie but lemme warn you. It won't bode well for his relationship with his dad but it will give Finn character development. Personally, I interpret this as the imagination of some highly gifted Asian kid whose father is struggling with certain unhealthy vices.

I gave Cole super sensitive hearing because in the film, he always seems to be the first to hear or notice something. When Master Wu arrived after the first battle with Garmadon, Cole asked "Where's that tranquil music coming from?" When Lloyd and Garmadon got captured, he was the one to hear where the camp of Lost Generals was and lead the rest of the team to them. I'm just exaggerating it to an extreme degree for plot-related purposes. It doesn't stop him from listening to his music on full volume though.

In case you missed it, the black hooded figure threatening Cyrus Borg was Acronix. From now on, cameos will not be explicitly named unless they are plot relevant or will come back again later. You'll just have to keep an eye out for them. Cyrus Borg was named because he is an important character in the plot. Krux will not have a cameo but he will be mentioned and will be slightly relevant to Kai's character. Officer Toque in Chapter 4 was named because he will have a minor recurring role later on.

I got the name "Ms. Laudita" from the script of the movie, though I can't be too sure if it's official since I don't have a dvd of the movie, or a dvd player or a tv screen. Anyway, I'm just naming her Ms. Laudita for the sake of convenience.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **StoriesAreMagic:** Ah yes, the Master Builders subplot will come back. I'm glad you got a kick out of the "No motorbikes in the hallway" exchange and I hope to get similar reactions with future jokes. Yes, Jay's "current mom" is a deliberate reference. He is adopted and you will find out what happened to his birth parents in a later chapter. Cole is as emo as ever.

 **OfArch:** Hope you like this chapter's song too!

 **ShyChick:** Cole has been learning from Batman on not opening up about his feelings, not that Batman is the best role model for that. At least he's being protective of Lloyd.

 **Scream Queen:** This chapter should tide you over.

 **Zira:** Totally a bigger slap, also more like how it played out in the trailers.

 **Dena:** I can tell you this much. Harumi will have a small speaking cameo. It will be in high school. And it will involve spiders.

 **RenaFox:** I hope this chapter's song is cool enough.

 **JadeBlue:** I hope I didn't disappoint with the backstory of Lady Iron Dragon.

 **QueenofHearts:** In the soon-to-be immortal line of Kai, "I love how much you love me!"

 **PokerFace:** As someone who used to be bullied in both grade school and high school, I think some people just get bullied because they make such easy or acceptable targets. For Lloyd, I think it used to only be a minority who bullied him. But that pushed him into the side of evil and after that everyone hated him. So it became a vicious cycle of hatred and revenge.


	7. It's Garmadon!

**EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

Garmadon and his army rise from the depths of the ocean while "It's Garmadon" by The De Luca Brothers starts playing diegetically, with the lyrics being shouted by Garmadon and the terrified beach-goers. We can hear the instrumental backing and back up singers.

 **MANTA RAY BOMBERS** and flying **JELLY SUBS** swoop in from the sky. **PIRANHA WALKERS** , **CRAB CRAWLERS** and various other vehicles based on sea creatures come out of the ocean and swarm the beachfront.

Garmadon is riding his **SHARK MECH** , which looks like a giant shark on a pair of heavyset mechanical legs. It takes large steps into the city to the beat of the song.

Garmadon takes out his megaphone and announces his presence. The beach-goers all flee for their lives, screaming in panic.

"Citizens of Ninjago! Get ready to welcome your new Overlord, who goes by the name of…"

A man who just bought a hotdog sandwich spits out the remains of the hotdog sandwich and screams "Garmadon!"

"What's my name?"

A woman bottle-feeding her baby screams "Garmadon!"

"Say it again!"

The baby spits out its bottle and squeals in a high pitched voice "Garmadon!"

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" Garmadon yells into the microphone.

 **HARD CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM – DAY**

The instrumental backing cuts abruptly. Cole has a startled look on his face as he takes off his headphones.

"Garmadon!" Cole blurts out loud.

The other ninja turn to look at Cole, questioningly.

"What? He's singing that stupid song again." Cole says, rolling his eyes.

 **CUT BACK TO: EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

The instrumental backing continues playing. Garmadon orders his generals to attack the city in a strategic manner.

"General Number One!"

"Yes, sir."

"You and your team of crab men overthrow the police station!"

"I can do that."

 **CUT TO: INT. POLICE STATION - DAY**

We see a shot of Officer Toque peacefully taking a sip from his mug of coffee before the ground starts shaking.

"Not again!" Officer Toque says with a deadpan expression on his face, knowing what will come next.

General # 1 and his crab men storm the police station with their Crab Crawlers. Officer Toque is swept away by the crab men as the other police officers are yelling and screaming.

 **EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

"General Number Two, take the TV station!"

"10-4!"

 **INT. TV STATION – DAY**

The tv anchors both simultaneously exclaim "What?" as General # 2 and her men break into the tv station. The tv station's broadcast feed turns to static.

 **EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

"General Number Three, crash the stock market!"

 **INT. STOCK MARKET - DAY**

General # 3 and his men crash in through the roof of the stock market shouting "Bankruptcy!"

 **EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

"General Number Four, knock over that table!"

 **EXT. CAFE – DAY**

General # 4 grunts as he struggles to flip over a normal-sized Lego table. When he finally succeeds, he lets out a triumphant shout and flexes his muscles in a comedic manner.

 **EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

"General Number Five, pop that kid's balloon!" Garmadon points at a small kid in the distance.

We see a small kid holding a balloon. General # 5 pops the kid's balloon with his narwhal horn. The kid starts crying.

Garmadon then turns to his sixth general with a wicked smile.

"General Number Six, make the school bus dangle precariously over an overpass or something. I've never seen that before!"

 **EXT. OVERPASS – DAY**

A school bus full of students on a field trip rides down the overpass. General # 6 blocks its way with a Crab Crawler, causing the school bus to swerve to the side. General # 6 then uses his Crab Crawler to try and push the school bus over the edge.

The students scream in panic.

"We're gonna die!"

"Where are the ninja?"

 **EXT. NINJAGO BEACHFRONT – DAY**

Garmadon speaks to himself as he schemes.

"Now, all I have to do is climb to the top of Ninjago Tower, and then I will rule over Ninjago."

Garmadon then loudly broadcasts his demands over his megaphone.

"ATTENTION MAYOR OF NINJAGO! SURRENDER PEACEFULLY AND NOT AS MANY PEOPLE WILL GET HURT! Nopromisesthough."

Garmadon mumbles the last part.

We slam zoom in on an old lady behind a desk at the very top of Ninjago tower. She has a stern and defiant look on her face. This is **MAYOR MYSTAKÉ.**

"Surrender? NEVER HEARD OF IT!"

Mayor Mystakẻ slams her fist on the emergency button labeled "PRESS IN CASE OF GARMADON ATTACK".

We see a shot of the whole city of Ninjago as the emergency sirens blare out. In the background, we see that the skies are entirely cloudless.

 **CUT TO: INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM – DAY**

The sirens continue blaring as Ms. Laudita and the students all gasp.

"Uh-oh.- It's Garmadon!" Ms. Laudita exclaims.

"That's what I just said!" Cole crosses his arms. No one pays him any attention.

"Thanks, Lloyd." all the other students sarcastically say in unison.

"You know what to do. Duck and cover!" Ms. Laudita announces as she hides under her desk.

All the other students follow her example and instinctively hide under their desks. Meanwhile, the ninja all share a look then raise their hands. Nya stands on top of her desk.

"Can I have a bathroom pass?" the six teens all ask in unison.

"'May I?' It's "May I have a bathroom pass?'" Ms. Laudita peeks out from behind her desk and corrects the ninja.

Zane walks up to Ms. Laudita, cups his hands together and strikes the most courteous, polite and adorable looking pose he can muster.

"Excuse me, but may we please all have bathroom passes?"

Ms. Laudita smiles and softens up to Zane.

"Yes, of course you may. Grammar is important even when the city is under attack."

The ninja all rush out of the classroom and enter their lockers. They all fall into their lockers, activating the secret passageway that takes them to the...

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE**

We see the interior of the Secret Ninja Warehouse holding all the ninja's mechs. There is a chicken nesting on top of a switchboard. This is **MASTER CHICKEN.**

The ninja all arrive at the other side of the secret passageway. Instead of their casual civilian clothing, they are now all garbed in their Ninja Gi uniforms. As they all jump out of the secret passageway, they all shout out simultaneously.

"NINJA, GO!"

Master Chicken suddenly snaps to attention and starts pressing buttons on the switchboard, activating all the ninja's mechs.

"Ninja computer system initiated." A feminine digital voice echoes throughout the warehouse.

"Come on!" Nya goads the others on.

All the ninja rush to their mechs, all except Cole who slowly and begrudgingly makes his way to the Quake Mech.

"Ninja team, shout out your call signs." Lloyd commences the call sign declaration.

As each of the ninja get in their mechs and shout out their call signs, they each strike a dramatic pose and the names of their call signs and mechs appear in stylized fonts around the mech, along with their taglines.

"Kai, light it up!" Lloyd cues the Red Ninja.

"Whoo! Fire Mech! So ninja!" Kai says as he gets into the Fire Mech.

The Fire Mech strikes a pose, shooting out flames from its flamethrower arms. The text reads...

" **RED NINJA**  
 **FIRE MECH**  
 **Don't forget to like and subscribe!** "

"Fire Mech ignited." intones the Ninja Computer.

"All right, take it away, sis!" Kai cues his sister, Nya.

"Water Strider. Ready and standing by." Nya does a backflip into the Water Strider.

The Water Strider strikes a pose, spraying water from its water cannons. The text reads...

" **SILVER NINJA**  
 **WATER STRIDER**  
 **The Most Humble Ninja! Best at everything!** "

"Zane!" Nya calls out to the White Ninja.

We pan over to Zane who is happily throwing yellow Lego studs of chicken feed to Master Chicken.

"Thank you, my friend." Zane says in an almost carefree voice.

"Come on, Zane!" Kai interrupts Zane to remind him that time is of the essence.

"Your turn, buddy!" Lloyd is a bit more gentle but goads Zane on as well.

"Ice Tank." Zane puts on a serious face and climbs into the Ice Tank.

Several cords plug into Zane and his face becomes a loading bar.

"Loading. Loading. Loading…" We hear Zane's voice through the speakers.

We freeze on Zane. The text reads...

" **WHITE NINJA**  
 **ICE TANK**  
 **I am a strong, independent human!** "

"Ready, Jay?" Lloyd cues Jay while Zane is still buffering.

"Yeah, yeah, I got this. Lightning mech, ready. Wait! No, not ready. Ready." Jay drops into the Lightning Jet. He struggles to compose himself.

The Lightning Jet's multiple antennae spark to life. The text reads...

" **BLUE NINJA**  
 **LIGHTNING JET**  
 **Faster than the speed of blabber!** "

"Cole, do you wanna kick Garmadon's butt?" Jay calls out to his best friend.

"Earth Mech." Cole says in an aloof but serious tone. He doesn't care much for mechs but knows how important it is to defeat Garmadon.

The Quake Mech holds out its hand and Cole jumps onto it. He is then taken up to the Quake Mech's cockpit and Cole jumps into its soundproof booth.

"Turntables at 33 and a third RPM." the Ninja Computer intones.

"Ready and standing by." Cole says as he places an LP record on the turntable and starts mixing.

A wave of sound blasts out of the Quake Mech. The text reads...

" **BLACK NINJA**  
 **QUAKE MECH**  
 **Sound isn't exactly earth but whatever.** "

"Green Ninja! Ready and standing by!" Lloyd declares without even waiting to be cued.

Lloyd is already on the Green Dragon Mech. The Green Dragon Mech strikes a pose, opening its mouth and shooting out a stream of green flames. The text reads...

" **GREEN NINJA**  
 **GREEN DRAGON MECH**  
 **I am the Chosen One!** "

"All ninjas, hit it!" Lloyd shouts out to the other ninja.

Upbeat music starts playing as Cole spins the record on his turntables.

"All right, ninjas, follow me!" Lloyd leads everyone out as he maneuvers his Green Dragon Mech.

The ninja's mechs all exit the warehouse and ride out towards Garmadon and his Shark Army. Master Chicken salutes them on their way out.

"As long as we have these mechs, we're unstoppable!" Jay exclaims.

 **CUT TO: TOP OF NINJAGO TOWER**

Mayor Mistaké sees the wreckage of Ninjago City unfolding before her. Garmadon marches ever closer toward the tower. She turns to her assistant and asks her a question.

"Can you remind me again why we don't have a formal military or army?

"Because we're a pacifist island city, and there's something about budget, logistics and our obstructive bureaucracy?" the assistant mayor answers innocently.

"In hindsight, that was a terrible idea." Mayor Mistaké frowns.

"The idea doesn't live up to the reality, I'm afraid."

"Curse you, obstructive bureaucracy!" Mayor Mistaké shakes her fists at the cloudless sky.

"Good thing we have that law allowing vigilante acts of justice to protect our citizens though."

In response to this, Mayor Mistaké immediate takes on a more pleasant attitude and pumps her fists in the air.

"Can't say no to free labor! GO SECRET NINJA FORCE!"

The Lightning Jet and Green Dragon Mech speed past Ninjago Tower, followed by the four other mechs as triumphant music swells.

* * *

 **A/N:** The Lego Ninjago movie likes re-using animation, right? Here we have the last bit of the previous chapter presented in a more comedic light.

This first battle with Garmadon will take up 3 chapters. While I have written action sequences before, none of them have ever been on this scale so it's quite the challenge. Additionally, lacking the advantage of visuals, I am limited to written text and so I have to make the action sequences focused and easy to follow. I've had to streamline the sequences from the movie. All the generals are numbered in order. No one conspicuously shouts "Ninja, Go!" in the middle of the hallway where anyone could possibly walk in on them.

I know the proper spelling is "Mistaké" but I remember Tommy Andreasen once spelled it as "Mystaké" and I honestly like that spelling better. I think it's less confusing, and would less likely be misread as "Mistake".

I included Master Chicken from the animated short "The Master". Not only does she serve as the team pet animal mascot, she'll basically be a snarkier version of Zane's falcon who is now a chicken. And I say "she" because Master Chicken was voiced by Abbi Jacobson (voice of Nya) and the Lego piece they used resembles a hen more than a rooster.

I like to imagine the feminine digital voice of the Ninja Computer System is P.I.X.A.L.'s voice. I'm not saying that it **is** P.I.X.A.L., just that it uses an identical voice. More on that could go into spoiler territory though.

* * *

Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! I really love receiving your comments and I take your feedback into consideration. I sometimes even get new ideas from your comments. They really motivate me to upload chapters faster. So if you want more chapters sooner, please don't forget to leave a review and feel free to share this with all your Ninjago-loving friends.

 **Replies:**

 **StoriesAreMagic:** I always look forward to your reviews because they tend to be the first whenever I post a new chapter. Also, I grow all my sub-plots organically. And I have to give you credit for giving me the idea to decide to put in the "It's Garmadon" song number. I originally wasn't going to include it but because of how much you liked it, I decided to keep it in and add a humorous twist to the previous chapter too.

 **OfArch:** Here's more awesome songs and Cole!

 **QueenofHearts:** You'll have to wait to find that out but it won't be long now.

 **RenaFox:** Good thing the ninja have these giant mechs that literally anyone could conceivably pilot. If it were up to Cole, they wouldn't use the mechs but they'd be stealthy enough that no one would even see them in the first place.

 **Zira:** It'll be revealed to Garmadon early on. It won't be noticed by a lot of people, but just enough for rumors to start popping up. Good thing Lloyd won't have to deal with that for plot-related reasons. The other ninja, however... well.

 **ShyChick:** Cole and Batman both like the color black, so Cole can relate. That exchange between Lloyd and Garmadon will have one heck of an emotional punch, I promise you that. It'll hurt on both sides.

 **PokerFace:** There will be no Meowthra, only the Great Devourer. They both fill the role of "giant monster wrecking the city". The say way there will be no Ultimate Weapon or Ultimate Ultimate Weapon. There is only the Megaweapon.

 **LavenderBell:** Don't worry, I intend to see this through to the end. I have around 37 chapters planned. Not enough people want shorter chapters that I can update more quickly so I won't be chopping them up into smaller chapters. There will be no change in weekly schedule updates.

 **VioletRoses:** For some people, some things are just too hard to forgive. There might also be some people who think Lloyd hasn't truly reformed and it's all just a ruse to get the citizens to let their guard down. The world is just like that sometimes and there will be those kinds of people.

 **BebeGirl:** Thanks so much! Koko will have her own minor character arc, as will Nya.

 **JadeBlue:** Here's part 1 of the 3-chapter battle with Garmadon!

 **Chic:** That's the idea. I'm taking things from the original movie and making them work better. Also, in chapter 3, it was stated that Lloyd used to love torture chambers, implying that he used to torture people with his dad. Note how Lloyd didn't deny it. He just said it was a "phase he went through" and that he was "over it now". The rest of the dialogue implies Garmadon's other suggestions were things they used to do too.

 **TheScript18:** LOL! Garmadon is comedy gold!

 **Kaffe:** Here's part 1 of the 3-chapter battle with Garmadon! Feel free to read it as often as you want.


	8. To Protect and To Serve

**EXT. PARK OF HAPLESS ROMANCES - DAY**

"General Number Seven, attack the Park of Hapless Romances!" Garmadon orders.

There is a wedding going on at the park. The bride is going down the aisle while the groom waits by the altar. A barbershop quartet is singing an acapella version of the wedding march. These are the **ROYAL BLACKSMITHS**. The lead singer is **LOU** , the biological father of Cole.

All of a sudden, General # 7 crashes the wedding, swarming the park with Crab Crawlers and Piranha Walkers. Garmadon follows behind on his Shark Mech.

"Run!" The bride yells as she takes the groom's hand and pulls him to safety.

Everyone runs away and scatters. The Royal Blacksmiths all scream one after the other, with their screams culminating in perfect harmony, and then they run away.

The bride and groom flee together while holding hands. But as they run, the groom's foot gets stuck on a stud on the ground.

"I'm stuck!" he cries out. He tries to pull himself free but can't.

The bride glances at her husband, then looks behind him and sees the approaching Shark Army. She lets go of her husband's hand.

"Honey, I know you want me to save myself so I'll go now." The bride says sweetly as she runs away and waves back. "I promise I'll never forget you!"

She blows a kiss at her husband.

"Wait! I didn't ask you to promise that! Come back!" The terrified groom panics and struggles even harder to free himself.

Just as the shark army is about to reach the groom, Kai in the Fire Mech steps in the way and blasts a stream of flames at the shark army. As the flames die down, we see the remains of the Shark Army, which now resemble sushi and cooked fish made of Lego bricks.

"Thank you, Red Ninja!" says the groom.

"Follow me on Chirp and we'll call it even!" Kai answers back.

"I don't have a Chirp account!"

"No wonder she left you." Kai rolls his eyes as he mutters to himself.

Kai continues to torch the rest of the Shark Army in a dramatic manner. Lloyd swoops in on his Green Dragon Mech. As he does this, we shift our focus from Kai to Lloyd. We track Lloyd as he flies through the air and reaches the...

 **EXT. OVERPASS – DAY**

The Green Dragon Mech stops and hovers in mid air as Lloyd spots the school bus dangling off the overpass.

"Oh no!" Lloyd gasps.

We see a mid shot of the school bus and then we go to a close up of the screaming students inside it. General # 6 pushes the school bus multiple times with his Crab Crawler until it almost tips off the overpass.

"Somebody help us!" one of the students cries out.

General # 6 gives one last mighty shove and the school bus finally tips over the overpass. We go to an epic slow motion shot of the bus falling from the overpass as the background music turns fittingly haunting. All foley and other sound effects are muted. We focus on the terrified faces of the students. They slowly move further and further away from us until suddenly…

KABOOM!

The school bus smashes into the pavement below and breaks apart into many Lego pieces. Student minifigs fly around everywhere and are scattered on the ground. Their faces all have comical X eyes with their tongues sticking out of their mouths. Tragic piano music plays softly in the background.

We focus on the faces of the dead students for a beat before zooming out of Lloyd's green eyes to reveal it was all in his imagination. He stares vacantly at the bus.

We see the same shot of the school bus tipping over the overpass again followed by the same slow motion shot. But this time, at the very last moment, the Quake Mech slides in on its back underneath the school bus and uses its large arms to catch the bus. The Quake Mech strains to absorb the impact and cushion the blow.

"A little help here!" Cole grunts from the effort.

Jay rushes in on his Lightning Jet and hovers above the school bus. A mechanical claw extends out of the Lightning Jet and grips the bus, even though the brunt of the weight is still being carried by the Quake Mech.

"I'm helping!" Jay says.

"Thanks, Blue!" Cole speaks with a hint of sarcasm.

"Anytime, buddy!" Jay doesn't pick up on the sarcasm and answers sincerely.

The Quake Mech hoists the school bus and gently places it on the road.

"Thank you, Black and Blue Ninja!" The students cheer.

Cole and Jay wave at the students before moving on to save the rest of the city.

Lloyd is still staring vacantly as his Green Dragon Mech hovers in place. Kai strides in on his Fire Mech, blasting Shark Army soldiers out of the way.

"Bro, I thought 'Green' means 'Go!' What are you waiting for?" Kai snaps Lloyd back to reality.

Lloyd looks at a nearby building and sees his reflection in the glass panes. His reflection is an unmasked younger version of himself laughing evilly. The younger reflection turns to look at Lloyd with his red eyes and gives a demonic smile.

Actual Lloyd blinks and shakes his head to clear his thoughts. When Lloyd looks at his reflection again, it is normal and he has green eyes.

"Right! Sorry, got it!" Lloyd says as he flies off to continue saving the rest of the city.

Kai keeps blasting away at the Shark Army soldiers. He passes by a noodle house and sees a red-headed teenage girl being cornered by some Shark Army thugs. Kai protects the girl, blasting flames at the thugs.

"I love you, Red Ninja! You're so hot! Literally and figuratively!" the red-headed girl hollers at Kai.

"Thank you! Thank you! I love how much you love me!" Kai hollers back and waves at the red-headed girl.

He then maneuvers the Fire Mech to jog after the Green Dragon Mech.

 **CUT TO: EXT. NINJAGO CITY PROPER – DAY**

Lloyd flies in on the Green Dragon Mech. Now that he has his head in the game, he starts giving orders. The other Ninja follow closely behind on their respective Mechs in battle formation. The instrumental orchestral score of "Heroes on the Way" plays in the background.

"Silver, free the police station!" Lloyd orders.

"On it!" Nya answers and the Water Strider breaks away from the formation and heads toward the police station.

"Red, take back the TV station!"

"Copy!" Kai answers and the Fire Mech breaks away from the formation and heads toward the TV station.

"White, fix the stock market!"

"Affirmative!" Zane answers and the Ice Tank breaks away from the formation and heads toward the Stock Exchange building.

"Black…"

"I can take on Garmadon!" Cole interrupts Lloyd.

"...set that table upright." Lloyd continues as though Cole hadn't said anything.

Lloyd points to the table that General # 4 flipped over.

"Uhhh, okay." Cole speaks with apparent disappointment.

The Quake Mech breaks away and heads toward the cafe with the flipped table.

"Blue, get that kid a new balloon!"

Lloyd points at a crying kid.

"Roger!" Jay answers.

"I'm going after Garmadon!" Lloyd declares.

The Lightning Jet leaves the Green Mech Dragon's side as it heads toward the crying kid.

The chorus of the song "Heroes" by Blaze n Vill plays in the background as we see an epic montage of the Ninja taking out the Shark Army soldiers and achieving their given orders.

[SONG: Heroes by Blaze n Vill]

[Your heroes on the way!]  
The Fire Mech and Water Strider blast fire and water respectively at the Shark Army thugs.

[We love to save the day!]  
The Ice Tank shoots ice at Shark Army Vehicles, freezing them in place, and Quake Mech unleashes sonic waves at them while they are vulnerable.

[Gonna reach that place!]  
In the air, the Lightning Jet and Green Dragon Mech shoot down the flying Jelly Subs and Manta Ray Bombers with their lightning bolts and green flames respectively.

[That takes us higher!]  
We see a split screen in 6 parts showing each of the Ninja fighting their enemies.

 **CUT TO: EXT. POLICE STATION – DAY**

The Water Strider clears a path to the police station with its water canons. Upon reaching the police station, Nya opens the cockpit and jumps out with her spear.

 **INT. POLICE STATION – DAY**

Officer Toque and all the other police officers are in the holding cell. Suddenly, they start hearing noises of people getting hit off screen. They peer out into the hallway and see a shadow deftly taking out the Shark Army guards one at a time.

A crab man flies toward the cell. The police officers gasp and step back. The shadow runs up to the bars of the cell to reveal it is Nya. She unlocks the doors of the cell.

"Thank you, Silver Ninja!" Officer Toque says.

"All in a day's work, officers. Now come on, we have to take back the station." Nya replies.

Nya and the police officers run into the office, where several crab men are waiting. Nya spins her spear and expertly blocks their blows. She uses her spear to pitch each crab man at the police officers one by one. Lacking any weapons, the police officers dogpile and apprehend the crab men every time Nya pitches one at them.

Nya disarms what she thinks is the last Shark Army guard. But before she can pitch him with her spear, he starts grabbing random office supplies and uses them as weapons against Nya. Computers, shelves, chairs, anything that isn't nailed down, etc. He throws these items at Nya, but she deflects every single one of them with her spear.

Nya kicks a desk at the crab man. He smoothly jumps up and steps on the desk, using it to propel him up over it. The desk passes underneath him and crashes into the wall behind him. In turn, the crab man kicks another desk at Nya but with a well placed strike of her spear, she splits it in half. The desk skids to a stop harmlessly in front of her. Nya uses the spear to polevault over the broken desk and right in front of the crab man. He chucks random smaller objects at her while slowly backing away. Keyboards, coffee mugs, books, case files, etc. Nya effortlessly deflects them away with her spear as she slowly advances on the guard.

In desperation, the crab man grabs a water dispenser and pitches it at Nya. Nya doesn't break a sweat catching the water dispenser. We go into a slow motion shot showing how Nya is actually controlling the non-Lego water inside. She uses its own momentum to twist and pitch it back at the crab man who gets knocked down by the blow.

Nya advances closer and the guard can't even throw random office supplies at Nya anymore. He can only use them as melee weapons but, one after another, Nya effortlessly knocks them out of his hands. In desperation, the crab man finally grabs a 3x2 flat Lego tile which is a framed poster of Lady Iron Dragon from Officer Toque's desk and uses it to defend himself. Nya gasps.

Seeing the crab man's new makeshift weapon, Nya freezes in place. She is unable to directly attack a poster of her greatest hero. She jabs her spear to the left, then the right, then the middle but each time the crab man shields himself with the poster and Nya's attacks are cut short.

Frustrated, Nya narrows her eyes and drops her spear. In one fluid motion, she grabs a hold of the portrait with both hands and yanks it up, leaving her target wide open. She swiftly kicks the guard in the crotch, causing him to freeze up and let go of the portrait. He collapses to the floor in pain and the other officers waste no time in apprehending him.

"Good job, Silver Ninja! We can take it from here." declares Officer Toque.

"The pleasure's all mine, Officer. Nice poster, by the way." Nya says as she hands the poster of Lady Iron Dragon back to Officer Toque.

"Thanks! I was lucky enough to get it signed when she was still active." Officer Toque sounds almost Nostalgic.

"Lucky you! I'd give anything to see her in action!" Nya can't help but squeal.

But while Nya is busy squealing with joy, behind her, General # 1 peers out from behind one of the desks. He is armed with a Lego stud-shooter gun. He carefully takes aim while Nya's back is turned.

Luckily, Officer Toque is facing the direction of the guard and notices him pulling the stud-shooter gun on Nya. We see a close up of his face and his eyes widen upon seeing this. We go into a slow motion shot as he heroically pushes Nya out of the way.

"Nooooo!" Officer Toque shouts dramatically.

The Shark Army guard pulls the trigger and the Lego stud flies in slow motion.

The stud hits Officer Toque squarely on the chest and bounces off comically and harmlessly, this being Lego. But it is played completely seriously. Officer Toque falls to the floor. Nya gasps and her eyes are wide with terror.

"I'm hit. He got me." Officer Toque wheezes.

Nya turns back to the guilty General # 1 and she is LIVID. Without missing a beat, she kicks up her spear with her feet, catches it in mid air without looking and throws it directly at General # 1.

We go to a close up of General # 1's face as he gasps, and for a moment, it looks like he's been impaled. But then we pull back and reveal that he is in fact unharmed and naked except for his underwear. Nya has expertly thrown the spear and skewered his crab suit to the wall behind him. Ashamed, he tries to cover himself up with his arms but the other police officers quickly tackle and subdue him.

"Officer down! I repeat! Officer down! We need medical assistance down here." A fellow police officer radios in for help.

"You... you saved my life." Nya looks at Officer Toque with a worried look on her face.

"It's what I swore to do." Officer Toque replies weakly.

Suddenly, Nya's wrist communicator beeps.

"Silver, I'm gonna need some back up." Kai says over the communicator.

Nya glances back at Officer Toque.

"Don't worry about me. I've survived worse. Go... save the city." Officer Toque says between faint gasps.

"We just need to get him to a hospital. He'll be fine. Now go!" Another police officer assures Nya.

Nya hesitates but answers back to her brother.

"I'm on my way, Red."

* * *

 **A/N:** Here's my attempt at a Jackie Chan-styled fight choreography. Also, I have 2 corrections to make. I may have previously stated that there would be no Ultimate Weapon in this story and that the first battle with Garmadon would take 3 chapters. But I have recently decided to include a flashback sequence in the next chapter, which will reference the Ultimate Weapon and spread out the battle to 4 chapters. I apologize for getting ahead of myself but I hope my chapters will not disappoint.

Yes, Lou is Cole's biological father. That should put an end to any "Garmadon is Cole's father" theories.

Because of the nature of Lego, I think it's possible to get away with a lot of scenes that would have otherwise been very gory or violent, like the school bus scene. But it's ok, it was just an imagination spot.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **OfArch:** Mayor Mystake and Master Chicken have been getting a lot of positive reactions.

 **BeBeGirl:** Yes, I agree! Not to brag but I think I've already gotten a higher score on the Bechdel test than the Lego Ninjago Movie got.

 **Serkuru:** Oh yes, Project Rebuild is here on ff too. But this is the prose non-script version while Archive of Our Own has the script version. I hope you enjoy the "Heroes on the Way" sequence I've included for you.

 **Kaffe:** I owe you an apology. The first battle with Garmadon will now take up 4 chapters. But hey, at least that's more fight scenes for you to re-read. Just for you, I will include the "Lloyd firing every missile" sequence. But I'm still working out how to fit it in the context.

 **Chic:** I've decided to include a flash back sequence in the next chapter to better establish just how messed up Lloyd was back when he was evil and to better justify everyone's hatred for him. I think this chapter also hints that Lloyd hasn't entirely gotten rid of his evil side.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** I'd like to think the Ninja all came up with their own taglines, but with each other's input taken into consideration. Zane is everything pure and wholesome. I'm glad you love the "It's Garmadon" sequence. You're welcome!

 **Dena** : I think the Ninja know Harumi in this version but since it will just be a small cameo, they won't interact with her any more than they interact with any of the random classmates they have. She won't be evil, just maybe a little creepy.

 **GOGOJo:** If I can think of a good enough plot, then I'm open to the possibility of either a sequel, prequel or spin off. But I'll get to that when I'm done with this story.

 **PokerFace:** I owe you an apology. I know I said there will be no Ultimate Weapon but I have decided to include a flashback sequence in the next chapter which will reference the Ultimate Weapon. It'll help to establish the kind of person Lloyd used to be. But don't worry. The Great Devourer will still be here.

 **BPrimeNo.1:** Thanks! I'm glad you love the story! As for Lloyd doing community service, I'm not sure if I will include it. I'll try to fit it in if I can. But if I can't, I'll just have to imply it with dialogue. But I assure you, Lloyd will get comeuppance by the time this story is over.

 **Zira:** I don't know why you'd look forward to seeing that but the other Ninja will have bigger problems to face, like Garmadon attacking the city with his new Megaweapon. You can look forward to that instead. Higher stakes than their high school reputations.


	9. Boss Battles and Inner Demons

**A/N:** Buckle your seatbelts, folks! This is gonna be a wild ride on the plot heavy side.

* * *

 **INT. TV STATION – DAY**

We see the broadcast feed of the TV Station playing. Instead of the regular TV news anchors reporting the news, there are two sharks holding literal boat anchors. They aren't Shark Army guards wearing suits. They are regular Lego sharks. They don't speak English, only repeating "Nomnom" again and again.

"Nomnomnom, nom?"

"Nom nom nom!"

We pull back to reveal the TV station recording room full of laughing Shark Army Hammerhead guards. They are holding the actual news anchors hostage. The news anchors are terrified.

General # 2 is dressed in a dark blue lionfish outfit with a lighter blue cape resembling fins. She laughs along with the other Shark Army guards before taking a big sip from her smoothie cup.

Suddenly, the Fire Mech bursts into the studio through the wall, leaving a giant Fire Mech-shaped hole behind it. General # 2 spits out the smoothie she just drank.

"Get him!" She says as she angrily points at the Fire Mech.

The Hammerhead guards attack the Fire Mech. But the Fire Mech just lets loose a constant stream of fire at the guards, incidentally causing the rest of the studio to catch fire.

The two regular sharks jump up and bite on the Fire Mech's flamethrower arms but after a brief flash of flame, they just turn black and charred with comical X marks for eyes. They drop off lifelessly. The fire spreads throughout the studio. When the Hammerhead guards realize they are inside a burning building, they decide to retreat.

"Wait! Where are you going? Cowards! Do I have to do everything myself?" General # 2 says and slams her smoothie cup down on the table.

General # 2 pulls out her swordfish sword and attacks. Kai maneuvers the Fire Mech into a battle stance. General # 2 runs up to the Fire Mech but instead of directly attacking it, she grabs the nearby video camera which is still recording live and points it at the Fire Mech. Kai cuts his attack short and instead, instinctively puts the Fire Mech in a dramatic pose.

"Make sure to get my good side!" Kai says.

"Oh I will!" General # 2 sneers.

General # 2 runs up to the Fire Mech and strikes at its now vulnerable side with her swordfish sword. Kai is taken by surprise but quickly realizes the general isn't doing any real damage. General # 2 keeps hacking away to no avail.

"What is this? It's like it's not even sharp!" General # 2 pauses and looks at her plastic Lego swordfish sword in disbelief.

Kai seizes the moment to shoot a volley of flames at her. Now on fire, General # 2 lets go of the Fire Mech. She expertly drops to the ground and rolls to extinguish the flames. She angrily gets back up, slightly singed but otherwise unharmed. She runs to the wall and grabs a fire extinguisher.

When the Fire Mech shoots flames at her, General # 2 counters with the non-Lego foam from the fire extinguisher. They exchange several blasts and appear evenly matched.

General # 2 jumps onto the Fire Mech and climbs right in front of Kai's cockpit. She sprays fire extinguisher foam all over the glass screen, obscuring Kai's vision.

"What the heck?!" Kai growls.

General # 2 then jumps down and goes to the fire hose cabinet on the wall. She takes the hose and runs around the Fire Mech's legs, tying them up. She then goes to the table where the shark's literal anchors were left behind. General # 2 takes the anchors and hurls them toward the Fire Mech, hitting it directly and toppling it over.

General # 2 stands triumphantly. Kai grapples with the controls, causing the Fire Mech to jerk around violently. In its struggle, it pulls the fire hose towards it. This unhinges the fire hose cabinet from the wall. The cabinet swings and hits General # 2 squarely on the head, knocking her out.

Kai jumps out of the cockpit and ties up General # 2 with the fire hose. He then grabs her forgotten smoothie cup and runs up to the video camera.

"Today's broadcast was brought to you by "Smooth Moves"..." Kai begins.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY PROPER - DAY**

The live feed from the TV station is playing on a giant jumbotron.

"...Ninjago's Number 1 energy drink!" Kai continues.

Several civilians cheer over the Red Ninja's victory.

 **INT. TV STATION - DAY**

"Hashtag Red Ninja!" Kai says.

Then, he goes back to the Fire Mech and wipes the foam off his cockpit screen then jumps in.

"You're welcome!" Kai waves at the now free TV anchors. He then pilots the Fire Mech to exit the TV station via the giant Fire Mech-shaped hole in the wall.

"Wait! The studio is still on fire!" The TV Anchor yells after him.

"Silver, where's that back up?" Kai speaks into his communicator.

"Incoming, bro!" Nya answers.

The Water Strider makes its way to the TV station. It pops into the Fire Mech-shaped hole and puts out the fire with its water canons.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY PROPER - DAY**

The giant jumbotron shows Nya putting out the fire.

 **"** Sorry about the mess." Nya says.

We pan away from the jumbotron and shift our focus to the Ice Tank. It shoots ice volleys at Crab Crawlers and Piranha Walkers, freezing them in place. The Ice Tank reaches the Stock Exchange building and Zane expertly parallel parks the Ice Tank in front of it.

He jumps out of the cockpit and heads toward the building entrance. As the White Ninja, Zane does not have a regular walk cycle. Instead, he moves as though he has wheels under his feet.

Zane enters the building then immediately exits. He returns to the parking meter where the Ice Tank is parked at and deposits a flat Lego stud coin into it. Zane goes back into the building.

 **INT. STOCK EXCHANGE - DAY**

Zane enters a wide, open room full of computer screens and terminals. The screens show numbers and arrows. General # 3 and his soldiers are at the center.

General # 3 is wearing an anglerfish uniform. He is surrounded by Great White Shark soldiers. They have been waiting for Zane.

"Shark army! I'm here to freeze your assets!" Zane declares.

"Hehe. He said 'assets.'" One of the Great Whites chuckles to himself.

General # 3 turns to that Great White and says **"** You're an asset!" He then turns to everyone else and shouts "Great White Squadron, get him!"

General # 3 points at Zane. At his order, the Great Whites run towards Zane.

"Switching to "Game Face" mode." Zane says to himself.

Beneath Zane's mask, his face rotates and is replaced by a more serious expression. We hear a whirring sound as he does this.

The instrumental version of the Weekend Whip by The Fold begins playing.

[SONG: Weekend Whip by The Fold]

A pair of shuriken materialize in Zane's hands and he gracefully skates towards the Great Whites. This is the closest thing we get to a walk cycle for the White Ninja. We then go into an epic, single take, tracking shot of Zane taking out the Great Whites.

Zane skates around effortlessly, weaving in and out of the Great White ranks and avoiding their attacks. Each move is precise and calculated. He moves like an Olympic figure skater. He occasionally throws the shuriken to pin his enemies to the wall. But every time he does this, a new pair of shuriken materialize out of thin air to replace them.

We get to the chorus part of the Weekend Whip and The Fold sings this part.

[Just jump up, kick back, whip around and spin And then we'll jump back, do it again]  
Two Great White soldiers attack Zane at the same time. One attacks in front of him. The other attacks from behind. Zane instinctively jumps up and does a split kick, hitting both Great Whites at the same time. He calls out his attack as he does this.

"Swooping Hawk!"

[Ninja Go! Ninja Go!]  
Zane strikes at more Great Whites but soon he is surrounded. General # 3 and the Great Whites close in on Zane, leaving him no space to skate.

[Come on, come on! We're gonna do it again!]  
At the center of a sea of Great Whites, Zane performs a pirouette. He twirls, striking at anyone who comes too close. He now uses his shuriken as melee weapons.

[Just jump up, kick back, whip around and spin]  
Zane spins, gaining speed and momentum. The Great Whites become apprehensive about attacking him. Zane continues spinning faster and faster and FASTER until finally...

SHIIINNG!

[And then we'll jump back, do it again]  
Zane successfully creates a **SPINJITZU TORNADO.**

"What are you all waiting for? Attack him! He can't take us all at once!" General # 3 leads the attack.

[Ninja Go! Ninja Go!]  
With renewed vigor, the Great Whites attack Zane together, attempting to overwhelm him with their numbers. But as they try to close in on Zane, the moment they so much as touch Zane's Spinjitzu Tornado, they get knocked back violently.

[Come on, come on! And do the Weekend Whip!]  
The Great Whites get thrown across the room. They slam against the walls, along with General # 3. This continues until the very last Great White is flung across the room. With all his enemies defeated, Zane slows to a stop and drops to the ground.

Zane is visibly exhausted. Sustaining a Spinjitzu Tornado drains a lot of his power and energy. He will need to recharge soon. But he remains defiant.

"Who's (whirring noise) the Greatest (whirring noise) White, now?" Zane dares.

The background music dies down.

Now that the Great Whites have been defeated, a stocks lady decides it is safe to come out of her hiding place. She runs toward the fallen Zane.

"Thank you, White Ninja! But please, you have to get up!" pleads the stocks lady.

Zane struggles to get on his feet again and the stocks lady helps him up.

Zane looks up and sees the screens all around him. They have arrows pointing down and the numbers are declining in value. Zane's job is not yet done. He needs to fix this and he knows what to do.

"I need to reboot the system."

The stocks lady guides Zane to the main computer terminals. Zane plugs himself in, restoring some of his energy. He starts typing on the keyboard and initiates a full system reboot to fix the system. After a few seconds, the reboot is successful and the screens start showing arrows pointing up. The numbers start growing in value too.

But behind Zane and the stocks lady, General # 3 slowly crawls towards them. He is in no shape to fight but he is not about to give up just yet. He pulls out a multiple stud shooter gun. He carefully aims at Zane's back and fires.

The stud strikes Zane directly on the back and bounces off harmlessly. Zane's entire head automatically rotates 180 degrees and glares at the guilty general. The rest of Zane's body is still facing the terminal. The stocks lady screams and runs off again.

Zane unplugs himself and turns the rest of his body to face the general.

"What the heck?" General # 3 gasps.

Zane moves slowly towards the general. He looks very intimidating due to the serious, unflinching expression on his face and lack of a natural walk cycle.

General # 3 keeps on shooting at Zane but stud after stud just bounces off harmlessly. As the last stud leaves the stud shooter, General # 3 desperately keeps pulling the trigger resulting in empty clicking noises. In a panic, General # 3 chucks the stud shooter gun at Zane. It smacks Zane in the face but he doesn't even react.

"YOU'RE INHUMAN!" shouts the general.

"Correction. **I am human**... And so much more." Zane firmly states.

We see from the POV of General # 3. Zane materializes a shuriken in his hands and strikes at the general to knock him out.

 **CUT TO WHITE.**

 **FADE INTO: EXT. NINJAGO SKYLINE - DAY**

Jay flies on his Lightning Jet as he tries to find a balloon store. The **CLEAR SKIES** are completely devoid of clouds. Suddenly, several Manta Ray Bombers are on his tail.

"Jay, you've got bogeys on your six." Lloyd informs Jay.

"You've also got them on your three, one, seven, five, six, eight, nine, and two." the feminine digital voice of the Ninja Computer helpfully adds.

"What?!" Jay yells in surprise.

Jay speeds up his jet to get away from the bombers. But suddenly, he spots an actual non-Lego balloon.

Formulating a plan, Jay narrows his eyes and flips a few switches on his console.

"Switching to autopilot." Jay says.

Jay puts the Lightning Jet on autopilot, moving in the direction of the balloon. Jay jumps out of the jet and onto the balloon. The jet flies off but the Manta Ray Bombers follow the jet.

Jay takes off his Lego hairpiece. He puts his hair to the balloon and starts rubbing.

"Come on, charge! Charge!"

The jet makes a u-turn and doubles back towards the balloon.

"Hurry up! Charge, charge, charge!" Jay rubs his hair on the balloon more vigorously.

The Manta Ray Bombers make a u-turn and double back to follow the jet. Jay's voice sounds increasingly more and more panicked.

"Charge! Hurry up! Charge, charge!"

The Lightning Jet passes Jay by harmlessly. The shark army soldiers follow quickly behind. Jay places his hairpiece back on his head.

 **"CLEAR!"** Jay unleashes a devastatingly powerful burst of lightning at the Manta Ray Bombers. The vehicles explode in mid air.

The Lightning Jet returns to Jay, who jumps back onto it. The mechanical claw extends out of the Lightning Jet and grabs the balloon. Jay tugs the balloon and brings it to the crying kid.

"Hey kid, don't cry! Here's a new balloon!" Jay says as he hands over the balloon.

 **"** Yay! Thanks Blue Ninja!" The kid takes balloon by the string.

Jay leaves. The balloon begins lifting the kid up into the air.

 **"** Wait, how do I get down?" asks the kid.

 **CUT TO: EXT. CAFE - DAY**

In the midst of all the chaos, the Quake Mech stands in front of an upturned table. Behind it, a kid can be seen floating away on a non-Lego balloon.

The Quake Mech reaches down with its massive arm and slowly and carefully flips the table back upright.

We go to a close up shot of Cole. He has a peeved look on his face as his maneuvers the Quake Mech.

 **"** Typical." He mutters under his breath.

Cole looks outside his soundproof cockpit. All background noises are coming from his communicator. Cole sees all the other Ninja pulling off more impressive missions in their respective Mechs.

Cole looks down at his console. He narrows his eyes and deliberately switches off his communicator. He no longer hears any of the chaos going on outside. Cole hears utter silence. He takes off his headphones and speaks.

"Screw this! From now on, I do what I want!"

Cole maneuvers the Quake Mech to flip the table over again. The Quake Mech turns to leave but stops short. Cole grumbles. The Quake Mech turns back and gently places the table in an upright position. Then the Quake Mech leaves.

 **CUT TO: EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - DAY**

The Green Dragon Mech roars as it flies by a building rooftop swarming with Shark Army soldiers.

"Switching to autopilot." Lloyd says as he flips a few switches on his console.

The Green Dragon Mech turns a curve around the rooftop, allowing Lloyd to jump off and land on the rooftop. Armed with his broadsword, Lloyd slashes away at the droves of Pufferfish soldiers and Jellyfish warriors.

Lloyd sees Garmadon's Shark Mech in the distance. Lloyd first tries to clear the rooftop before making his way to his father.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY STREET - DAY**

We go to a close up of Garmadon. He is talking to a general.

"What do you mean Generals 1 to 3 have been captured? Uugghh fine!"

Garmadon shouts an order on his megaphone.

"General Number Four, Attack the Bridge of Orphans, Puppies and Persons With Disabilities!"

We then see a split screen shot reaction of all the Ninja. Cole is in the shot but he doesn't have any reaction since he doesn't hear Garmadon's announcement. He's just busy doing his own thing.

"OH NO! NOT THE BRIDGE OF ORPHANS, PUPPIES AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES!" all the Ninja except Cole simultaneously shout.

"I used to live there!" Jay exclaims.

"WE ACTUALLY STILL LIVE THERE!" Kai and Nya both yell.

"I do not technically live but that is also my place of residence." Zane intones.

 **CUT TO: EXT. THE BRIDGE - DAY**

We see a wide bridge that connects several buildings together. It is the same area as the "Bridge of Puppies" from the past but The Bridge has since been greatly expanded. There is a sign that now reads " **BRIDGE OF ORPHANS, PUPPIES AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES** ".

At the center of The Bridge is a new Lego brick-built statue of a dog. Beside it is a new statue of Cyrus Borg holding aloft a Techno Blade. Beneath the statue is a plaque with the Borg Industries logo that reads "Protect those who cannot protect themselves. - Cyrus Borg".

Around The Bridge are several Borg Industries display screens for announcements and advertisements. Now, they show a female android with silver hair, a white face with purple lines of circuitry and bright green eyes. This is **PIXAL.** She speaks in a female digital voice that is identical to the Ninja Computer voice heard in the Secret Ninja Warehouse and over Jay's Lightning Jet Communicator.

"All residents of The Bridge, please evacuate to the designated shelters immediately. A Garmadon attack is imminent." PIXAL intones.

We see a shot of many injured civilians and children running towards the shelters. But the dogs and puppies are too panicked to head for the shelters. One small boy on a wheelchair and wearing a purple ninja-looking outfit tries coaxing the puppies to follow him. This is **LIL' NELSON.**

"Who's a good boy who doesn't want to get shot by Garmadon's bombs? All of you are! Even the girls! Now, come on!" Lil' Nelson urges.

But the dogs and puppies won't listen to him.

 **CUT TO: EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - DAY**

Lloyd cuts down more Pufferfish soldiers as he desperately tries to make his way to get on his Green Mech Dragon to stop Garmadon's attack on The Bridge. Based on where he assigned the other Ninja, he knows none of them are near enough to intercept the attack.

 **"** No! No! No! No!" Lloyd frantically shouts.

Lloyd executes a backhand slashing motion, triggering a flashback.

 **MATCH CUT TO: FLASHBACK - EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - DAY**

A much younger, evil Lloyd slashes a disgraced Shark Army General across the chest in a similar move. Lloyd has red eyes like his father.

We go to a wide shot of Lloyd, Garmadon, and several Shark Army soldiers on a rooftop similar to the one in the present.

"And that's how you gut a fish." Lloyd says.

"Excellent swordsmanship, Luh-loyd!" Garmadon proudly says as he claps with all four hands.

"Thanks Dad!" Lloyd replies.

The disgraced general starts flopping around in the background like a fish.

"And now for presents!" Garmadon states and claps again.

A couple of Shark Army soldiers carry in a large box and place it in front of Lloyd. They then drag away the disgraced general.

"Happy Birthday, Luh-loyd!" declares Garmadon .

Lloyd opens the box and gasps. Inside the box is a non-Lego laser pointer.

 **"** I call it the **"ULTIMATE WEAPON"."** Garmadon proclaims.

"Wow! Cool!" Lloyd says excitedly.

"Go on, kid. Test it out!" Garmadon prompts his son.

Lloyd grabs the Ultimate Weapon and presses the button on it without really aiming at anything. An incredibly powerful red laser beam shoots out of it and hits a building, causing the building to explode in a massive fireball.

"Woah!" says Lloyd, more fascinated than shocked.

"Now, let's work on target practice. Try over there!"

Garmadon points at the newly constructed Bridge of Orphans, Puppies and Persons With Disabilities. There is a statue of Cyrus Borg and a statue of a giant dog at the center of The Bridge.

PIXAL can be seen in her full physical body. She is pushing a wheelbarrow of brown Lego stud dog food. Many puppies flock to her, ready for lunchtime.

"You know, back in my day, they used to call this the "Bridge of Puppies" until I burned down all the orphanages. Then they relocated all the orphans here." Garmadon boasts.

Lloyd has a menacing grin as he aims the laser pointer at the statue of Cyrus Borg. The shot is framed in such a way that is identical to how the bullies wanted to shoot Lloyd with spitballs in a previous scene.

"Open fire!" Garmadon orders.

The flashback ends.

 **MATCH CUT TO: PRESENT - EXT. NINJAGO CITY STREET - DAY**

"Open fire!" Garmadon orders in an identical manner to the flashback.

Several Manta Ray Bombers release their payload of missiles in the direction of The Bridge.

 **EXT. BUILDING ROOFTOP - DAY**

 **LLOYD** : Noooooo!

* * *

 **A/N:** I apologize for the delay. As you can see, this chapter is longer than usual. I couldn't find a place to cut it in half without leaving one chapter with inadequate substance. I try to update on a regular weekly basis. But if I take longer than usual to update that probably means it's a longer than usual chapter. I hope that's ok. I don't want to end up overwhelming anyone.

Yes, I am totally 100% sure that is how the stock market works... Totally.

Also, the Swooping Hawk move is from the Lego Ninjago video game but I've never played the game so I just based it on how it looked in the trailer. Most of the ninja will have special moves in battle.

And now we finally see how evil Lloyd used to be before. You have no idea how close I was to implying that Jay's parents were killed in the building explosion. But that would have been too messed up even for me.

* * *

 **Replies:**

Thank you SOOOO MUCH to all my reviewers! They really motivate me and give me ideas I hadn't previously thought of.

Shoutout to **StoriesAreMagic** and **BPrimeNo.1** picking up on the Skylor cameo! And yes, Kai does love his Chirp.

 **Kaffe** and **PokerFace** : Thanks! The Ultimate Weapon in the wrong hands can be very devastating indeed. More guilt and trauma for Lloyd!

 **Kaffe** and **BebeGirl** : Lloyd's missile sequence incoming soon.

 **OfArch** and **Dena** : You're welcome! But also, if you've seen the latest Ninjago episode, there's some positive representation for cops there too.

 **OfArch** and **BebeGirl** : Don't worry. I know better than to play cliches straight.

 **StoriesAreMagic** and **OfArch:** Lego studs are whatever they need to they come out of a stud shooter, they are bullets. If they are fed to dogs, they are dog food.

 **StoriesAreMagic, JadeBlue** , **GOGOJo** and **ShyChick** : Nya is the epitome of Girl Power. She just wants to be just like her hero, Lady Iron Dragon.

 **Zira:** If that makes you happy, I hope you still enjoy whatever happens in the story. It won't be a main focus. There are greater threats to deal with than school gossip.

 **Serkuru:** Here's a classic song for you to listen to.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** I am strategically trying to restore as many deleted concepts and scenes that didn't make it into the movie. Also, the occasional scare is good as long as it isn't taken too far.

 **JadeBlue:** I'm not sure what you mean by the ninja "don't really need to kick butt". I think they are quite capable of kicking butt. They just don't have to be unnecessarily violent. (Except maybe Kai. He has an actual kill count.)

 **BPrimeNo.1:** Thanks! I dream of making Jackie Chan proud.

 **GOGOJo:** Thanks for clarifying! I wouldn't want to force a sequel just for its own sake. We'll get there when we get there. Anyway, here's more Lloyd PTSD flashbacks.

 **ShyChick:** No worries! Thanks so much! Here's more of everything you mentioned in your review. Now, Cole even figuratively and literally shuts down all communication.

 **CCDD:** I'm not sure if you were trying to say "Update soon" or "Update son" but I am female. Though I have no problem with being called a dude. But here's the update!

 **UltimateSpin** : There are realities we have to face but this is what the movie could have been. What it should have been.

 **QueenofHearts:** Thanks so much! Oh yes, Lloyd's characterization will be very central to the plot.


	10. Happy Birthday To Me!

**A/N:** I'm sorry this took so long. But the chapter is also long. Expect a lot of explosions.

 **EXT. THE BRIDGE - DAY**

We see a shot of Lil' Nelson from behind him as he tries coaxing the dogs and puppies to the bomb shelter. A puppy jumps onto Lil' Nelson's lap. Lil' Nelson hears the sound of incoming missiles and turns around. He gasps. His eyes are wide with fear.

The missiles come closer and closer. Then suddenly...

 **KABOOM!**

The missiles all detonate in a massive explosion. Lil' Nelson turns away from the explosion and shields himself with his hands.

 **"** Huh?" The explosion ends and Lil' Nelson is surprised to find himself unharmed. The puppy has disappeared.

Lil' Nelson looks up and sees several flick-fire missiles zoom past by towards the Manta Ray Bombers.

Several Bombers explode. The rest break away from formation. We pan back to the source of the missiles. It is the Quake Mech.

 **INT. QUAKE MECH - DAY**

"I can do way more than flip tables with a giant mech equipped with an arsenal of missiles!" Cole speaks with a slight bitter edge to his voice.

Cole is fiddling around with various levers and switches to shoot the flick-fire missiles at the Manta Ray Bombers.

 **"** Actually, this ain't so bad."

 **EXT. NINJAGO ROOFTOP - DAY**

Lloyd witnesses the Quake Mech intercept the attack on The Bridge. He jumps off of the rooftop and back onto the Green Dragon Mech. He radios in on the communicator to congratulate Cole.

"Omigosh! Black! That was amazing! Nice save!" Lloyd shouts ecstatically.

The others chime in over the communicator.

"That was an incredible rescue of my domicile infrastructure!" Zane says.

"You're the absolute best, buddy!" Jay adds.

"Yay! We're not homeless!" Kai and Nya simultaneously cheer.

 **CUT TO: INT. QUAKE MECH - DAY**

Inside the cockpit, we focus on a close up shot of Cole's communicator. It remains silent and Cole doesn't hear any of the praise he is getting from his team mates. We then focus on a photo on the control dashboard. It is a photo of Batman training. Beneath it are the words " **SHOW NO PAIN, FEEL NO EMOTION** ".

We then go to a close up of Cole's face. He looks as stoic as ever.

 **CUT TO: NINJAGO CITY STREET - DAY**

Lloyd and the others notice Cole hasn't responded over the communicator.

"Come in, Black. Do you copy?" Lloyd radios in.

Lloyd is greeted by sounds of static.

"Hey, can any of you guys get to Black?" Lloyd asks.

 **"** Nope." Kai says.

"Nuh-uh." Nya replies.

"I've got nothing." Jay answers.

"It appears he has switched off his communicator. But not to worry, I can patch myself through." Zane concludes.

 **CUT TO: INT. QUAKE MECH - DAY**

Cole continues to pilot the Quake Mech with a stone-faced expression.

"Hello!" Zane's voice disrupts the silence.

"GAH! What the...? White, how'd you get in here?" Cole is surprised by the sudden intrusion.

"You really need to let other people in, Black." Zane says.

 **"** What?"

"Luckily, I can hack into anything."

Cole is flustered by Zane's comment.

"In any case, it appears you have accidentally shut off your communicator."

Cole facepalms silently.

 **"** Yeah... accidentally..." Cole goes along with Zane's alibi to avoid digging himself deeper.

Cole rolls his eyes as he begrudgingly switches the communicator back on but at a lower volume.

As soon as Cole turns on the communicator, it picks up a broadcast from Garmadon.

"General Number Four..." the broadcast begins.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY STREET - DAY**

 **"**...circle back with your Bomber fleet and prepare for a Second Wave! Attack with everything you've got!" Garmadon orders over his megaphone.

"Yes, sir!" General # 4 replies.

We zoom in on Lloyd as he flies nearby on the Green Dragon Mech.

"You all heard that! Black, you're nearest The Bridge! Take care of the puppies!" Lloyd orders over his communicator.

Cole's mood brightens considerably at the prospect of being assigned a worthwhile task.

"Finally!" Cole says as he maneuvers the Quake Mech toward The Bridge.

Seizing the chance to impress Lloyd, Cole immediately takes over the situation.

"Blue, I'm gonna need you to run interference. When they regroup, commence Operation Chain Reaction!" Cole asserts.

"Just like old times?" Jay asks.

"You got it, buddy!" Cole replies.

"Wait...? What?" Lloyd is confused.

"I've never done it in a jet before." Jay states.

"I believe in you, Blue. You've got this." Cole assures his best friend.

"I've got this." With his confidence boosted, Jay maneuvers his Lightning Mech into a position perpendicular to the Manta Ray Bomber fleet.

"I didn't...? Chain reaction? Ugh, never mind." Lloyd drops the issue and guns the Green Dragon Mech's engines as he heads to Garmadon's Shark Mech for an attack.

 **CUT TO: EXT. NINJAGO SKYLINE - DAY**

The fleet of Manta Ray Bombers regroup and go into a tight formation. Perpendicular to their formation is Jay in his Lightning Jet.

Jay guns the engine and the Lightning Jet's thrusters burst to life. Jay zooms towards the Bomber fleet at dangerously high speeds. But with Jay's lightning-quick reflexes, he expertly zips right through to the middle of their fleet. The Lightning Jet unleashes a single well-placed lightning strike at the bomb payload of one of the Manta Ray Bombers.

 **KABOOM!**

The bomb payload detonates in an outward, growing explosion, causing the bomb payloads of other nearby Bombers to explode. One after another, the Manta Ray Bombers explode into giant fireballs in a blazing chain reaction.

"Woohoo!" Jay hollers as he spins out of the fleet and away from the explosions completely unscathed.

General # 4 finally notices what's going on and gives an order.

"Everyone break formation!"

All the Manta Ray Bombers scatter in every direction, buying Cole time to defend The Bridge.

 **CUT TO: EXT. THE BRIDGE DAY - DAY**

Lil' Nelson unsuccessfully tries to herd the dogs. He is about to give up when the Quake Mech arrives at the Bridge and stops in front of Lil' Nelson.

We go to a close up of Cole.

"Let other people in, eh?" He whispers to himself.

We go back to Lil' Nelson as he looks up at the giant one-wheeled mech and gasps.

"Woah! Nice wheel!"

"Hey! You've got a spiffy pair of wheels yourself, kid!" Cole opens up the cockpit and invites Lil' Nelson in. "You wanna ride?"

"DO I?!" Lil' Nelson shouts ecstatically. He pulls down his purple ninja hood over his face. "PURPLE NINJA AWAY!"

The Quake Mech lowers its large right arm. Lil' Nelson maneuvers his wheelchair onto the arm. The arm lifts Lil' Nelson and gently places him in the cockpit. It's a tight squeeze but both Cole and Lil' Nelson fit. Cole closes the cockpit.

"You know how to whistle kid?" Cole asks.

"Sure do!" Lil' Nelson says.

"Great! Coz I'm gonna need you to whistle as hard as you can! On three!" Cole says as he pushes a few buttons on his cockpit and places a mic in between him a Lil' Nelson. "One! Two! Three!"

Cole and Lil' Nelson pucker their lips, put their Lego hands up to their mouths and blow. They both whistle and Cole blasts out the sound out via the giant speakers on his Quake Mech.

All the dogs and puppies hear the wave of sound and run up to the Quake Mech. The Quake Mech herds the dogs and puppies towards the Blast Shelter.

Before Cole and Lil' Nelson can celebrate their victory, Jay radios in on the communicator.

"I did everything I could. The fleet is on their way. It's all up to you now."

Cole and Lil' Nelson look at the sky and see the remnants of the Manta Ray Bomber fleet heading towards The Bridge.

Cole thinks quickly. The goal is not to fight back but to ensure that all the dogs and puppies have safely made it to the Blast Shelter.

Cole positions the Quake Mech directly in front of the Blast Shelter entrance and uses the bulk of the Quake Mech to protect the puppies from being hit as they run toward the shelter.

With its back towards the incoming Manta Ray Bombers, the Quake Mech now serves as an impromptu shield.

"Brace for impact!" Cole tells Lil' Nelson.

Lil' Nelson holds on tight.

The remaining fleet of Manta Ray Bombers arrive at The Bridge and open fire with their bombs and spring loaded shooter darts.

The Bridge is bombarded by a series of massive explosions. But the Quake Mech holds fast until the very last puppy is safely in the Blast Shelter.

When the last puppy has entered the shelter, Cole uses the Quake Mech to close the shelter's Blast Doors. With the wheel still firmly in place, the upper torso of the Quake Mech then spins around and opens fire with a barrage of flick-fire missiles at the Manta Ray Bombers.

The Quake Mech holds its own for a few good solid moments, valiantly defending The Bridge.

 **CUT TO: INT. THE BRIDGE BLAST SHELTER - DAY**

We go to a shot of the civilian residents of The Bridge huddled together in the Blast Shelter. The sounds of explosions reverberate around them, causing dust to occasionally fall from the ceiling. Some of the children are on verge of tears. They flinch with every explosion and cling tightly to the dogs and puppies in their arms.

 **CUT TO: INT. QUAKE MECH - DAY**

An alarm beeps inside the Quake Mech cockpit, warning that it is running low on ammo. Cole ignores it. Lil' Nelson does not.

The entire conversation plays out while Cole is busy piloting the Quake Mech. Multiple explosions can be frequently heard throughout the conversation.

"Mister Black Ninja sir? Should we be worried about that blinking light?" Lil' Nelson asks.

"It's nothing." Cole replies.

"Are you sure? Because it looks like we're about to run out of missiles."

"I know what it means, kid. I've got this."

"Shouldn't we maybe ask for help from the other Ninja?"

"I'm the one who helps them. I don't ask for help. That's how it works."

"Excuuuuussee me! What am I? Chopped liver?" Jay suddenly interrupts over the communicator.

"What?!" Cole is again caught by surprise.

"You do realize we can all hear everything you're saying, Black?" Zane mentions.

Instead of answering, Cole facepalms silently and repeatedly.

"Omigosh! Are those the other Ninja? Hiiiii!" Lil' Nelson ecstatically greets the Ninja.

"Hey, who's that?" Nya asks.

"Call me... the Purple Ninja!" Lil' Nelson proudly states.

"Wait, is that an unqualified civilian in your mech?" Lloyd chastises.

Lil' Nelson becomes crestfallen.

"I was just..." Cole tries to defend himself.

"Hey, Purple Kid! Do you follow me on Chirp?" Kai interrupts Cole.

"You bet! Hashtag Red Ninja!" Lil' Nelson boasts.

"He seems okay to me." Kai approves.

Lil' Nelson's expression brightens.

"Still, Black, you should know better than to let random people into your mech." Lloyd criticizes.

Lil' Nelson becomes sad and crestfallen again.

"You said you're the responsible one." Lloyd continues.

"I **am** responsible!" Cole mutters to himself through gritted teeth.

"We can discuss this later. Right now, you need back up." Lloyd asserts.

"Thanks but no thanks! I'm good." Cole declines.

The Quake Mech is rocked by a massive explosion. Cole and Lil' Nelson get thrown about.

"Actually, I'm a little scared right now." Lil' Nelson admits.

"Black, I know you want to feel like you always have to have the situation under control but you don't need to do it alone." Jay butts in.

"What happened to 'I did everything I could. It's all up to you now'?" Cole asks his best friend.

"That was before I managed to shake off a dozen flying jelly subs on my tail! So how about it? I've got your back!" Jay says, forcefully.

"I, too, have your behind." Zane remarks.

Cole blushes. Another massive explosion occurs. Cole shakes it off and turns back to Lil' Nelson. They make eye contact for a beat. Lil' Nelson is definitely afraid.

Cole turns back around and looks at the photo of Batman.

"I'm sorry, Batman. I failed you." He whispers to himself.

Cole then radios in on the communicator.

"Fine! Yes! I need back up! I'm taking heavy fire!"

"I've got you bro!" Jay replies.

 **EXT. THE BRIDGE - DAY**

The Lightning Jet swoops in from above and makes quick work of the remaining Manta Ray Bombers.

Soon after, the Ice Tank arrives and provides support.

"I'm here for ground support and also moral support! YAY TEAM!" Zane reassures.

Any remaining Manta Ray Bombers retreat. We go to a wide shot of The Bridge. The surroundings are smoking from the barrage.

 **INT. QUAKE MECH - DAY**

After the bombardment of explosions, the silence is like a welcome breath of fresh air. Cole and Lil' Nelson look at each other and smile, having gotten through the ordeal relatively unscathed.

Suddenly, a puppy pops its head out of Lil' Nelson's shirt and jumps out. It is the same puppy that was on Lil' Nelson's lap earlier. It had somehow gotten into Cole's cockpit.

The puppy barks. Cole and Lil' Nelson laugh.

"Thanks guys!" Cole radios Jay and Zane over the communicator.

Cole scoops the puppy up in his arms and cuddles it.

 **EXT. THE BRIDGE - DAY**

There are no more Manta Ray Bombers in the sky but there are still some explosions going on in the distance.

The Quake Mech opens the shelter's Blast Doors. The cockpit opens and the Quake Mech's arm gently takes Lil' Nelson in his wheelchair and places him on the ground.

"Thanks again for letting me ride the Quake Mech..." Lil' Nelson cheerily thanks Cole.

"It's cool." Cole replies.

"...even though I'm an unqualified civilian." Lil' Nelson then suddenly gets sad. He awkwardly looks away.

"Nah, you're not... unqualified. You just... need training." Cole tries to boost Lil' Nelson's morale but part of him hesitates when he speaks.

"I'm sorry if I got you into trouble with the other Ninja."

"It's not your fault. I... I wanted to do this. I wanted to... impress someone."

"If it means anything, I was impressed. A little scared, but also impressed."

"Thanks." Cole smiles slightly.

"Bye!" Lil' Nelson wheels himself into the shelter.

"Take care, kid!" Cole waves goodbye as he closes the cockpit.

The Quake Mech closes the Blast Doors and heads to another part of Ninjago City where the fighting is still going on.

 **CUT TO: EXT. NINJAGO CITY STREET - DAY**

The Green Dragon Mech and Garmadon's Shark Mech are locked in combat. The Green Dragon Mech swoops through the air and blasts the Shark Mech with green flames. The Shark Mech's shooting cannons open fire at the Green Dragon Mech in retaliation.

"Give it up, Green Ninja! You'll never win!" Garmadon shouts.

"Why do you wanna conquer Ninjago so badly?" Lloyd angrily replies.

"Why do wanna stop me so badly? Really, once I recreate Ninjago in my image, I'd be doing everyone a favor and releasing them from the troubles of free will."

"No! You just want to make everyone be like you! Look like you! Act like you! Be angry all the time!"

"Exactly! Isn't it great?"

Blast after blast exchange between the two. The Green Dragon Mech executes some dynamic aerial moves to evade the Shark Mech's missiles.

Lloyd and his father are evenly matched because while the Green Dragon Mech has the advantage of aerial range and firepower, the Shark Mech's shields are capable of withstanding the attacks. The Shark Mech is also capable of being remarkably fast, despite how heavy-looking its build looks.

"You're too slow, Green Ninja! You can't catch me!" Garmadon taunts.

"You're not going to get away from me that easily!" Lloyd replies.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY BLOCK - DAY**

Garmadon pilots the Shark Mech to run into an area where there are many buildings with reflective glass walls. The Green Dragon Mech follows behind but then suddenly stops in mid air.

"Oh no!" Lloyd says to himself.

We pull back to reveal the Shark Mech's reflection appears on many of the buildings. Lloyd looks around cautiously. Garmadon uses his megaphone to make his voice reverberate around the surroundings.

"Where's Garmadon now? Am I over here, here, here? Or am I over there, there, there, there? It's like a house of mirrors in here."

Lloyd maneuvers the Green Dragon Mech to hover slowly around the buildings. The Green Dragon Mech's reflections also appear on multiple buildings. Suddenly, Lloyd sees a blur of motion by the corner of his eye. He whips around to catch it, but there's nothing there. Whatever it is, it seems to move independently from the multiple reflections of both Garmadon on the Shark Mech and Lloyd on the Green Dragon Mech.

Another blur of motion appears in the opposite direction, but when Lloyd turns to look at it, it's no longer there. Lloyd is starting to look worried. He begins to sweat. The blurs of motion seem to almost jump from one reflective surface to another. Lloyd's eyes dart around but he is always too slow. Garmadon's evil laughter echoes all around the area.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Another voice joins Garmadon's laughter. It is a young voice and its evil laughter overlaps with Garmadon's.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

We focus on Lloyd and go into a vertigo effect shot. He recognizes the voice.

"No! No! No! No!" Lloyd repeats to himself.

Lloyd looks up and finally catches sight of the blur of motion. It has stopped. Flanked by the reflections of Lloyd in the Green Dragon Mech on one side and Garmadon in the Shark Mech on the other is the evil younger version of Lloyd with red eyes. It smiles demonically.

Lloyd is unable to look away. He is frozen in fear.

 **BAM!**

Without warning, the Shark Mech appears directly beneath the Green Dragon Mech. Seizing the chance, the Shark Mech jumps up and swiftly bites the Green Dragon Mech's tail with its trigger-operated snapping jaws.

The Shark Mech drops down and pulls the Green Dragon Mech down with it. Lloyd screams.

The Shark Mech uses its momentum to twist around and hurl the Green Dragon Mech towards one of the glass buildings. In a split second, Lloyd jumps off his mech and drops down and away from the impact.

 **CRASH!**

The Green Dragon Mech smashes into the glass panes of the building. Lloyd is terrified. He runs back to the smoking mess of the Green Dragon Mech. It is damaged but still looks intact. Lloyd radios for help over the communicator.

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY! DRAGON MECH DOWN! I REPEAT! MECH DOWN! NEED IMMEDIATE BACK UP!" Lloyd shouts desperately.

The communicator crackles with static.

"PLEASE! CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"

The Shark Mech steps into view.

"It's just the two of us now, Green Ninja." Garmadon sneers.

Lloyd panics and abandons the Green Dragon Mech. He runs away and tries to escape. Without a mech, he doesn't stand a chance against Garmadon.

Garmadon patiently waits for a few seconds and watches Lloyd run away. He is toying with Lloyd.

"Right. You're not going to get away from me that easily!" Garmadon echoes Lloyd's previous remark.

Garmadon pushes a lever and the Shark Mech sprints over to where Lloyd is in an instant.

"BOOM!" Garmadon exclaims as the leg of the Shark Mech kicks Lloyd squarely on the back and sends him sprawling. Lloyd screams in pain.

"No one's here to help you now, Green Ninja!" Garmadon mocks.

Lloyd lands facedown. He struggles to get up.

"Owwwww!" Lloyd flips over onto his back. He is covered in dirt and scuff marks.

"Pathetic! My generals have more spunk than you!" Garmadon says condescendingly.

The Shark Mech steps closer towards him. Lloyd tries to back away, using his hands to drag the rest of his body as he keeps his eyes on Garmadon.

"No! Please stop! **Don't do this!** "Lloyd begs Garmadon.

The Shark Mech keeps coming closer. Lloyd backs up to a street lamp pole. He can't move back any further. The Shark Mech menacingly lifts a leg up on top of Lloyd and brings it down on him. Lloyd catches the leg and uses every ounce of his strength to keep it from crushing him. Though unnaturally strong by normal standards, he struggles to keep the leg from squashing him to death.

Lloyd is terrified and panicking. He can't help himself. He pleads.

"Please, **Dad!** "

Garmadon doesn't realize that the Green Ninja is his son and that Lloyd is referring to him.

"Oh what now? You're gonna cry for your papa? Well, hate to break it to you but your daddy's not here. You're all alone, Green Ninja."

The Shark Mech menacingly takes a step closer. But suddenly Kai arrives and he calls out.

"NO HE'S NOT!" Kai shouts.

Lloyd can't believe his eyes. The Fire Mech jumps into view behind the Shark Mech.

"RED!" Lloyd's surprise turns into elation as he regains his heroic second wind.

The Water Strider jumps down behind Lloyd and kicks the Shark Mech away. The Water Strider stands over Lloyd protectively.

"SILVER!" Lloyd glances back.

"Oh great! It's the twins." Garmadon derides as he steadies the Shark Mech and regains his balance.

"What? We're not twins! I'm older!" Kai says indignantly.

"Green! We got your message before your com died." Nya tells Lloyd.

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you guys!" Lloyd cannot contain his relief.

"Happy hugs later! Silver, you hold off Garmadon while I help Green repair his mech." Kai says.

"As if you're a Master Builder! How about I help repair the mech and you hold off Garmadon?" Nya says defensively.

"How about I finish what I started before you rudely interrupted me?" Garmadon pilots the Shark Mech to sprint straight back at Lloyd.

"Works for me!" Kai says as he instinctively maneuvers the Fire Mech to tackle the Shark Mech to the ground.

The two mechs grapple around on the ground, hitting, kicking and biting each other. Bursts of missiles and flames shoot out in the fray.

Nya jumps out of the Water Strider and helps Lloyd up.

"Anything injured?" Nya asks.

"I'll live." Lloyd answers.

Lloyd leans on Nya as they walk back to the Green Dragon Mech. Once they get there, Nya starts circling around the mech to survey the damage. She removes the Lego pieces that are damaged. As she does this, Lloyd tries composing himself.

"Okay, I can do this. It's just the Green Dragon Mech. I can do this."

We go into a shot of Lloyd's POV. As he looks around, the outlines of specific individual Lego pieces around him pop out for emphasis. Hovering over each piece, a bunch of random digits starts shuffling like a casino slot machine. But instead of settling on a specific Lego piece number, the digits all settle into question marks.

"Come on! Come on! I just need to **BELIEVE!** " Lloyd tells himself as he closes his eyes and puts his hands to his head.

When he opens his eyes, we go back into his POV. He sees the question marks disappear but they are not replaced by numbers. Instead, they are replaced with words and phrases such as "Yes, totally!", "Could work", "Maybe", "Sure, why not?" and "Do they have this in sand green?"

In a burst of renewed energy, Lloyd takes the Lego pieces from the surrounding buildings and places them on the Green Dragon Mech to replace the damaged parts. When he is done, he stands next to Nya.

"Phew!" Lloyd wipes the sweat off his brow.

Nya has a questioning look.

"Uhhh, Green? What is that?"

"What? It's functional." Lloyd answers defensively.

We pull back to reveal the repaired Green Dragon Mech. It looks stable but resembles a wild hodgepodge brick-build with no specific aesthetic direction.

"I think Garmadon may have hit you a lot harder than you realize because that looks like a mess. No offense." Nya says as she gives the Green Dragon Mech a well-placed kick, causing all the pieces Lloyd put on the mech to fall off.

"Lemme try." Nya closes her eyes.

When she opens them, we go into her POV. We see the surroundings in proper Master Builder vision. The outlines of specific individual Lego pieces pop out for emphasis and above them are their respective Lego piece numbers.

In a quick blur, Nya zips around the Green Dragon Mech and takes new Lego pieces from the surrounding area and places them on the Green Dragon Mech. When she is done, she stands next to Lloyd.

"There we go! Form and function!" Nya proudly proclaims.

We pull back to reveal a sleek-looking repaired Green Dragon Mech.

"Well, mostly. Communicator's still dead but it should be able to fly and shoot." Nya reasserts.

"Thanks, Silver! I owe you one. Now, let's get Garmadon. Call the others! Wu-Cru formation!" Lloyd tells Nya.

Lloyd jumps onto the Green Dragon Mech and Nya does an acrobatic flip into the Water Strider.

"Guys! If you aren't busy, we're about to do a Wu-Cru formation on Garmadon." She radios the others on her communicator.

"Affirmative!" Zane replies.

"Roger!" Jay answers.

"We're on our way!" Cole responds.

The Green Dragon Mech roars to life and flies to the aid of the Fire Mech, alongside the Water Strider.

When they get to the fray, the Shark Mech is busy comically chewing on the leg of the Fire Mech while the Fire Mech is busy fire-punching the Shark Mech with its flamethrower arms.

The Green Dragon Mech and Water Strider both shoot green flames and water at the Shark Mech respectively. The Fire Mech's leg comes loose and it starts shooting fire as well.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY DOCKS - DAY**

With the combined forces of the three mechs, the Shark Mech gets blasted out of the city block full of glass panel buildings and into the open area of the Ninjago City Docks. The Fire Mech, Green Dragon Mech and Water Strider rush out soon after.

Garmadon looks around and sees the rest of his forces retreating.

"Wait! Come back! I didn't order you to retreat!" He shouts into his megaphone.

A single Piranha Walker turns around and runs to Garmadon's aid. It is piloted by General # 5, a Narwhal soldier. The rest of the Shark Army continues to flee.

"I'm with you to the end, Sir!" General # 5 affirms.

A single Crab Crawler quickly scuttles by. It is piloted by General # 7, an Octopus soldier.

"Don't mind me." says General # 7. She covers her face as she scuttles by. "Camouflaaagggeeee!"

Garmadon and General # 5 stare in disbelief.

The Lightning Jet, Quake Mech and Ice Tank arrive and corner Garmadon and General # 5.

"Ninja! Wu-Cru Formation! Attack as one!" Lloyd commands.

At Lloyd's command, each of the Ninja take turns to attack Garmadon in a continuous chain combo technique. The Piranha Walker gets caught in the attacks as well. Garmadon makes pained reaction sounds with every hit.

" **ICE!** " Zane shouts as the Ice Tank shoots a beam of ice at the Shark Mech, freezing it solid.

" **EARTH!** " Cole yells as the Quake Mech's large arms glow with orange outlines of circuitry and delivers a powerful Earth Punch to the Shark Mech, shattering the layer of ice.

" **FIRE!** " Kai calls out as the Fire Mech torches the Shark Mech with a blazing inferno, setting the Shark Mech aflame.

" **WATER!** "Nya roars as the Water Strider drenches the Shark Mech with a massive blast of water, putting out the fire and leaving the Shark Mech soaking wet.

" **LIGHTNING!** " Jay cries out as the Lightning Jet unleashes a devastating burst of lightning at the Shark Mech, electrocuting Garmadon and comically making his skeleton visible during the shocks.

Lloyd flips the cover of a button on the Green Dragon Mech controls. The large button reads **"Happy Birthday To Me!".** Lloyd looks wildly ballistic.

"Oh I've been waiting to use this for a long time!" Lloyd says as he slams down on the large button.

 **"** **NINJA GO!** " Lloyd shouts.

We go into a montage sequence of all the missiles being deployed.

"Initiating Mega Missile Mode." The feminine digital voice of the Ninja Computer mentions each missile as it is deployed. "Right claw missile. Left claw missile. Feet bombs. Tongue rocket. Spine missile one, two, three, four. Tail rocket, one, two... Eye missile. Other eye missile. Toenail missile. Wrist rocket. Head missile. Other head missile. Backup head missile. Metacarpal missile. Butt torpedoes."

Garmadon and General # 5 are bombarded by the payload of missiles. Everything culminates in one giant explosion.

General # 5 lets out a Wilhelm scream as he gets blasted away. He lands some distance away, miraculously intact.

"Phew! Just one more day till retirement." He says calmly.

A final delayed explosion occurs.

"To the eeeeennnnddddd!" General # 5 screams as he blasts off and disappears.

The six mechs surround Garmadon in his Shark Mech as the smoke clears.

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sorry again for the delay but as you can see, there is a definite correlation between update frequency and chapter length. I hope it's ok.

And thus concludes the 4-part first battle with Garmadon. This chapter was heavily influenced by the Lego Movie, the Lego Ninjago Movie, the last few episodes of Ninjago season 8, and the Lego toy sets. There's also some Captain Planet at the end. Speaking of which, isn't it super convenient how Lloyd failed to mention his element in the Captain Planet sequence?

Project Rebuild will be dealing with 3 main themes: communication, free will, and family. Cole deals with communication, so if you look back, a lot of Cole's dialogue has something to do with hearing or listening. At the same time, he doesn't really communicate his feelings well and prefers to bottle them up. As the subject of 2 conflicting prophecies, Lloyd deals with free will. How much of what Lloyd does and what happens to him is just Lloyd being himself and how much is being affected by prophecy? Everyone else will be dealing with family at some point, whether it's their family of choice, a family by blood, or a family they lack.

On the subject of Master Builders, I can definitely confirm Nya is a Master Builder in this continuity. If you look back at the Lego movie, go to the 1 hour, 27 minute mark where Emmet confronts President Business. When Emmet says "Look at all these things that people built", the Samurai X mech can be seen in the screens behind Emmet. There's a reason I wrote in Nya's Samurai X mech. Speculate away!

Now, I think, we also have a better lead up to why Lloyd inevitably reveals his identity in the next chapter. Poor Lloyd can't catch a break. How does almost dying on your birthday sound?

Fun fact: Did you know The Bridge of Orphans, Puppies, and Persons With Disabilities is actually based on 2 real life bridges that I combined and took inspiration from?

Also, General # 7, the Octopus Lady General, is my self-insert OC.

* * *

 **OMG! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 99 REVIEWS! Who's gonna be the lucky 100th?**

 **Replies:**

 **Guest:** Welcome to the wonderful world of Project Rebuild!

 **CCDD:** Here you go. Lil' Nelson did not die.

 **JadeBlue:** They don't need their mechs to kick butt, unless they're actually fighting another mech and Garmadon doesn't play fair.

 **OfArch:** Not as rogue as you think. But I'm sure this isn't gonna foreshadow anyone going AWOL without a communicator anytime soon. Hint hint.

 **gemboundprism:** He can do way more than flip tables!

 **StoriesAreMagic** : Thanks! I'm really happy with how Zane's entire fight sequence turned out. I'm also particularly proud of the framing of Lloyd's flashbacks.

 **BeBeGirl:** Thanks so much! I think everyone is precious!

 **ShyChick:** Not as serious as you think. But it does continue to drive a wedge between him and Lloyd. Cole wants to be trusted but at the same time, he has to learn to trust others. As for your question, Koko must have figured out by now about the prophecies, so it's not entirely Lloyd's doing. A bit spoilery but she must have also figured out that some of the Great Devourer's venom was possibly passed down to Lloyd. This is where Lloyd's evil reflection comes from.

 **GogoJo:** This isn't so much of a cliffhanger now so please don't hate me. :P

 **GeekChic:** I think The Bridge of Orphans, Puppies, and Persons With Disabilities is the single greatest original contribution I have made to this story that is not based on any pre-existing Lego media.

 **Kaffe:** Just keep on re-reading again and keep an eye out for foreshadowing.

 **Chic:** Lloyd didn't save the people but he did save the one who saved the people.

 **StarLady:** I have totally seen The Master short and yes, Master Chicken is in this story. She first appears in Chapter 7 and will show up again later on.

 **LadyDroid:** This won't be brought up within the story but in this version, technically, Zane is not an orphan. Dr. Julien is still alive but not in any condition to take care of Zane. His computer wife/Zane's mom is actually a medical machine that keeps him alive. They all live together at The Bridge.

 **Boomer-Range:** Don't worry, feeling left out is the last thing Lloyd feels about his friends. But he's already so much better at everything than his friends are, except maybe Master Building. But that's just Nya. Everyone else can't Master Build yet.


	11. A Father Destroys, A Father Rebuilds

**A/N:** Here's a nice, short, lighthearted, breather chapter after that intense action sequence.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY DOCKS - DAY**

Lord Garmadon is defeated. His Shark Mech is a broken and smoking heap. Garmadon coughs as the smoke clears. He tries pressing buttons and pulling levers in his control panel but nothing works. The Shark Mech does not respond but it's shields are still up and activated.

"Jeez, where did that come from? I did not see that coming." Garmadon coughs. "Your missiles are very accurate, Green Ninja. Too bad for you, I upgraded all of my shields! (to himself) That's all I seem to have at the moment, just some upgraded shields."

"Face it, Garmadon. You will never take over Ninjago, so why don't you just give up and go away for good?" Lloyd speaks with a forceful and bitter edge to his voice.

Garmadon lets out an exasperated sigh.

"Look, it's been a really rough day for me. I've had to face my disappointment of a son..."

Lloyd visibly flinches at this.

"You've foiled my plan to conquer Ninjago. And now you've trashed my Shark Mech." Garmadon continues.

 **"** WILL YOU JUST LEAVE ALREADY?" Lloyd shouts. Lloyd's patience is wearing thin.

"Okay, okay." Garmadon raises his arms in mock surrender. "But mark my words! One day, I will conquer Ninjago! Maybe not today but just you wait, Green Ninja!"

"Oh I'll be waiting… **Dad**." Lloyd seethes in anger and lets the words slip.

We go to a quick split screen shot reaction of all the other Ninja widening their eyes in realization. But they don't say anything.

"Sorry, what? What was that last thing you said?" Garmadon leans over towards Lloyd.

"What?" Lloyd is defensive.

"That last part, I didn't catch it." Garmadon clarifies.

Lloyd feels trapped. He rambles very quickly and instinctively lashes out in frustration.

"Whuh uh uh? I didn't say anything. What do you mean? I said I'll be waiting and then I stopped talking… " Lloyd's voice then takes on a deliberately bitter and sarcastic edge. " **Dad.** "

Lloyd takes off his mask in defiance. He has had enough of hiding. He is furious.

We quickly go back to the split screen shot reaction of all the other Ninja. All the Ninja gasp simultaneously.

"Luh-loyd?" Garmadon asks.

Lloyd reveals himself as the Green Ninja.

"That's right! I'm your son! The one you almost killed today!"

Garmadon is momentarily stunned. His mind is blown.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….. ?" Garmadon continues saying this in the background while the Ninja are interacting.

We go back to the split screen shot. All the Ninja except Zane facepalm.

"Do not worry. My sensors detect no other life signs within hearing range." Zane informs the others.

"Phew!" the other Ninja say altogether in relief.

"Oh wait, there's one." Zane corrects himself and points in a certain direction.

We zoom in on a close up shot of General # 7 to reveal she did not actually leave Garmadon but instead was camouflaged in place this whole time.

"What? Uhh, I heard nothing!" General # 7 denies.

"Got it!" Kai says as he uses the Fire Mech to shoot a stream of fire at the Octopus Lady General # 7.

General # 7 jumps out of the Crab Crawler and runs around screaming while on fire. She then finally drops on the ground and rolls around before dying with X marks on her eyes.

"Takoyaki anyone?" Zane jokes.

"Mmmm… cannibalism…" Cole says hungrily.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa….." Garmadon continues yelling.

"GARMADON!" Lloyd shouts angrily.

We go to a close up of Garmadon as he snaps out of his stunned trance-like state as though nothing had happened.

"Anyway where were we?"

Garmadon and Lloyd talk at the same time. Whenever Lloyd tries to say something, Garmadon doesn't acknowledge it and keeps talking over his son.

"Dad…" Lloyd begins.

"Ahhh, whaaaaatt?..." Garmadon says at the same time.

"... Dad, please! ..."

"... My own son is the Green Ninja? ..."

"... Listen to me!..."

"... How could this have happened? You were supposed to be the Chosen One and rule Ninjago by my side as father and son!"

In response, Lloyd angrily slams down on the "Happy Birthday to Me!" button again. The Green Dragon Mech begins to shoot out missiles.

"Right claw missile. Left claw missile..." The Ninja Computer begins calling out each missile as it is deployed.

The same sequence of the missiles deploying plays out but now instead of focusing on the missiles, we see the baffled expressions of the other ninja. Their mechs shift around uneasily. The Quake Mech leans on the Ice Tank.

Explosion noises and Garmadon's screams can be heard off screen.

After the explosions end, the smoke clears and this time, Lloyd is downright furious! He is breathing heavily. But Garmadon remains unharmed inside his shield bubble.

"You're always cutting me off! Always interrupting me! You **never** listen! Well, are you listening now, Dad? Do I have your attention?"

Lloyd asserts his dominance while Garmadon speaks in a more submissive voice.

"Oh I read you loud and clear, Luh-loyd."

"I am **not** your Chosen One and I will **never** rule Ninjago by your side! I will **never** be like you, Garmadon! **NEVER!** "

As Lloyd says this, the red in his eyes flashes very briefly and Garmadon sees this. Garmadon smiles and composes himself. He echoes his son's words.

"So be it. But if you ever find your inner darkness, then **I'll be waiting.** "

A couple of Flying Jelly Subs hover over the Shark Mech and attach their chain tentacles to it. They begin to lift it away.

Garmadon signals the Flying Jelly Subs and they turn to leave. But before they get very far, Lloyd shouts a final insult.

"I wish you weren't my father!"

Garmadon pauses for a beat then signals the Jelly Subs to turn back and face Lloyd.

"Then consider yourself henceforth unworthy of the name of Garmadon. From this moment on, **I have no son.** " Garmadon says each word clearly and carefully to cause as much calculated inner turmoil as possible.

Lloyd has a look of absolute hurt. All the other Ninja are shocked.

But Cole then narrows his eyes and pilots the Quake Mech over to Garmadon's Shark Mech. The Quake Mech grabs Garmadon's Shark Mech by the tail and yanks it away from the Jelly Subs.

"Uh-oh!" Garmadon says.

With the lower torso wheel stable on the ground, the Quake Mech's upper torso spins around, winds up for the pitch and hurls Garmadon's Shark Mech far into the ocean.

The thugs in the Jelly Subs panic and quickly maneuver their Jelly Subs to chase after Garmadon.

The Quake Mech turns back to Lloyd.

"Don't listen to him, Lloyd. He doesn't deserve you." Cole tells Lloyd.

"Thanks **Cole!** " Lloyd replies.

Cole's pupils widen to indicate he is touched and on the verge of happy tears at being thanked by Lloyd. But then, he does a double take after he realizes Lloyd may have accidentally revealed his secret identity as well. Lloyd does not seem aware of this.

"Well, that's our cue." Lloyd says as he presses a button on the control panel.

The Green Dragon Mech releases a green flare from its mouth which makes a piercing noise. The green flare remains hovering in the air. This is the ALL CLEAR signal.

 **EXT. THE BRIDGE - DAY**

At The Bridge, the residents slowly come out of the Blast Shelter. Lil' Nelson can be seen among them.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY - DAY**

Throughout Ninjago City, the citizens begin to come out of their hiding places.

"Ah, my ears have finally stopped ringing from all those explosions. I hope I didn't miss anything." says one citizen.

"What do we do now?" asks another citizen.

Suddenly, Lou of the Royal Blacksmiths singing group slides in. He picks up a Lego brick and starts singing diegetically to the tune of "We Built This City" by Starship, but with slightly altered lyrics.

"We'll rebuild this city! **Rebuild this city on rock and roll!** " Lou begins singing.

The other members of the Royal Blacksmiths slide in and sing along.

"Rebuild this city! **Rebuild this city on rock and roll!** "

All the Ninjago citizens break out in a spontaneous but seemingly-choreographed dance number. Like clockwork, they start rebuilding the ruins of Ninjago City. Everyone moves in synchronization to the beat of the song.

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY DOCKS - DAY**

"Say you don't know me, or recognize my face... " the citizens continue singing but it is slightly muted, as though heard from a distance.

All the ninja are restless and uneasy. They should be celebrating a victory but instead, they all look like they want to say something about Lloyd revealing himself in public.

"We can talk about this later." Lloyd shrugs off their uneasiness. He is not in the mood right now.

Lloyd pilots the Green Dragon Mech to fly off. The other Mechs reluctantly follow in silence.

* * *

 **A/N:** Did I say lighthearted? I might have meant brokenhearted.

And with that, we have reached the end of the first act of Project Rebuild. I will be following a standard 3-act structure for this story. Also, here we have our first instance showing why the the story is titled "Project Rebuild".

Remember how, back in chapters 1 and 3, Garmadon kept talking over Master Wu and Lloyd? Yeah, he does that a lot. Lloyd finally got tired of it.

Anyway, this chapter contains a super obscure reference to that time Cole considered cannibalism in the Shadow of Ronin game. This chapter was also inspired by the second to the last episode of season 8. Also, obligatory Star Wars reference. The next chapter will be chock full of references.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **THANKS SO MUCH TO ALL MY REVIEWERS! You guys are the best motivators!**

 **0dyssey:** I've had to rewrite this chapter because of season 8. I hope I didn't disappoint.

 **Mono:** Cole doesn't know about Batman's character development. He still looks up to pre-character development Batman.

 **Kaffe:** I must have unlocked my true potential.

 **GeekChic:** Lil' Nelson is the most precious ever.

 **Chic:** Glad to hear that! I loved watching Captain Planet as a kid too!

 **Boomer-Range:** Lloyd still has a lot of other things to worry about now. Nya is next level awesome for being a Master Builder.

 **GOGOJo:** Great to hear that! I only aim for the best.

 **CCDD:** I can promise you this story does not call for Lil' Nelson's death.

 **StarLady:** I'm glad you're enjoying everything and all the easter eggs and references I've been putting in. I always hope my readers can catch them.

 **ShyChick:** Lloyd struggles with his evil side. It will always be there. It will always be a part of him. But what he must do is not let it define him. This ties in with the themes of the story.

 **JadeBlue:** Did your heart break even more in this chapter? If it did, I'm sorry for that.

 **LadyDroid:** I only include what I think the story calls for and I can let the readers fill in the blanks. I'll also be including a new character in the next chapter who will be a combination of 2 pre-existing Ninjago characters. But I've had to dial down his ambition because the story is crowded enough as it is.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** I really pumped about your reactions to everything! But YES! Finally someone picked up on Garmadon's motive and it's connection to Cole and young Garmadon's similarities! General # 7 is my fave. Nya is an awesome Master Builder. Also, hello to your cat! I'm sorry there's no Meowthra in this version.


	12. Golden Opportunities

**A/N:** I completely apologize for the delay and I know it's not even that long a chapter. Real life got in the way and I got super busy. Anyway, just a heads up, this chapter contains toilet humor, so if you're not into "pooper in the party" style comedy, consider yourself warned.

* * *

 **EXT. GARMADON'S VOLCANO LAIR - DAY**

The Shark Army returns to Garmadon's Volcano Lair, which is shaped like a giant shark fin jutting out of the water.

The instrumental version of "Coming Undone" by Korn plays in the background.

Multiple Flying Jelly Subs and Manta Ray Bombers fly into the caverns with lava flowing on the sides. Other aquatic vehicles can be seen entering and exiting the lair.

Inside the volcano are hollowed out chambers for use of the different departments in Garmadon's army. As the music plays, we get an epic, single take, tracking shot exploring the different areas in Garmadon's Volcano Lair.

 **INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY**

At the center of the Volcano Lair is The Atrium, where the Research and Development, and I.T. Departments can be found. Many I.T employees are busy working.

Hanging high above in the ceiling is a Dragon Skull on display. Beneath it is a plaque that says "IN LOVING MEMORY OF **DEMIC** ".

A lady with round blue glasses and a black Batman shirt under her labcoat walks through rows of computers, machinery and display screens. This is **TERRI THE GPL TECH.** She oversees everything.

She pauses at a display screen that reads "PROJECT SEPARATOR: GOLDEN POWER EXTRACTION AT 86%". Beneath it is a loading bar to track the progress.

Terri walks over to the equipment connected to the display screen. She watches four golden **BRICK SEPARATORS** strapped to extraction machines. **GOLDEN POWER** is being drained from the Brick Separators, which flows into a War Hammer placed on a pedestal.

Content with the progress, Terri goes to her desk and continues working on the blueprints of a large shark-themed, humanoid mech.

 **INT. GARMADON'S THRONE ROOM - DAY**

The walls of the Throne Room have murals of **ONI MASKS.** Lord Garmadon is sitting on his throne. He is crying tears of fire.

There are several Shark Army soldiers present, attending to Garmadon's whims. Generals # 4 and 6, currently the only remaining generals, are also present.

But then we focus on a new character, a dark blue reptillian humanoid with a cobra-like hood and a long, brick-built rattlesnake tail. He has red eyes with spiral patterns. But his most noticeable feature is a large, faded scar that can be seen spanning across his entire torso. This is **GENERAL FANG THE HYPNOBRAI.**

Garmadon sobs loudly. He is an emotional mess with fire tears leaking out of his eyes and fire snot dripping from where his nose would be. His anger makes him look monstrous but his sorrow makes him look pitiful. He swings wildly between these two extremes.

Garmadon blows his nose on a piece of non-Lego tissue paper. It catches fire and he throws it at a pile of other discarded tissues. The pile of tissues also catches fire.

General Fang rolls his eyes and puts out the flame out with a fire extinguisher.

"I can't believe my own son would turn out to be the Green Ninja! Where did I go wrong? I did not see this coming at all!" Garmadon laments as he looks at old pictures of him and Lloyd bonding over evil acts.

One photo has them standing on the giant non-Lego grass next to a "Keep off the grass" sign. Another photo has them gleefully riding the Ninjago Monorail as it is about to run over several Ninjago citizens tied to the train tracks. Yet another photo has the them playing a regular game of baseball, with Lloyd as the batter and Garmadon as the pitcher. But instead of throwing a baseball, Garmadon throws a kitten in Lloyd's direction.

"Actually, Sir, if you look at past prophecies, this should have been really obvious in hindsight." General # 4 snaps Garmadon out of his reverie.

General # 4 holds out the original fortune prophecy that says Lloyd would defeat his father.

"They even have an attack called the Wu-Cru formation. That really should have clued **you** in on your brother's involvement!

Garmadon angrily glares at the general. General # 4 tries to verbally backtrack.

"Clued **us!** Clued **us** in!"

"You're fired!" Garmadon yells as he angrily slams down a button and General # 4 literally gets fired out of the volcano.

A Shark Army soldier offers Garmadon a cup of tea, perhaps in a futile attempt to calm him down.

Garmadon drinks the tea and immediately spits it out.

"What is this? Green tea?" demands Garmadon as he throws the cup of hot tea at another nearby Shark Army soldier in the background.

The soldier lets out a Wilhelm scream.

"The only tea I drink is black! LIKE MY HEART! You're fired!"

Garmadon slams down the button again and the soldier is jettisoned out the volcano.

"SOMEBODY BETTER GIVE ME SOME GOOD NEWS OR THE NEXT PERSON TO TALK GETS FIRED OUT OF THE VOLCANO!" Garmadon shouts threateningly.

General # 6 receives a message over his radio communicator. He nervously relays the message to Garmadon.

"Sir, your daily prophecy has arrived."

A large non-Lego fortune cookie is wheeled into the throne room and delivered to Lord Garmadon. Garmadon cracks it wide open with a swift karate chop.

The fortune prophecy reads "You will not conquer Ninjago City today. Better luck next time." Everyone else in the room sees the fortune prophecy and stands completely still in fear.

"AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" Garmadon loses his temper at this.

"Just make it quick, sir." General # 6 whimpers and drops to the ground in a fetal position.

But before Garmadon is able to do anything, General Fang hisses and put himself between Garmadon and General # 6.

"Sssssssssssir, you might want to firssssstt consssssssider replacementssss..." He speaks with an emphasis on the "s" sounds in his words.

Garmadon is enraged, practically grinding his teeth in anger. But he pauses to consider the sense in General Fang's suggestion. He composes himself, wipes the fire tears from his eyes, inhales and speaks to General # 6 in a polite tone.

"Oh but before that, could you kindly call in the next batch of generals for me?"

General # 6 nervously radios in on his communicator.

"Hello HR? Lord Garmadon is requesting a new batch of generals. Okay.

He turns to Garmadon.

"They're on their way, Sir."

"Good!" Garmadon smiles.

For the third time, Garmadon slams down on the button and General # 6 flies out the volcano.

On cue, the new batch of generals enter the room. They all look exactly like the previous batch of generals but with genderswapped face prints.

All the new generals are uneasy and apprehensive. The Shark Army soldiers mirror their apprehension. They know what will happen next.

Garmadon glares down at the new generals. His eyes burn a bright red.

We go to Garmadon's POV and in the center of each torso of the new generals, he sees a glowing golden aura. He stares for a beat then turns to General Fang.

"General Fang, I'm not in the mood to invoke them one at a time. Take care of this for me." Garmadon commands.

"Assssss you wiiissshhh… " General Fang replies. But then he hisses to himself. "You jusssst don't want to deal with the messssss of fortune cookiesssss."

"What was that?" Garmadon eyes General Fang suspiciously.

"Nothing, Ssssssssir." General Fang answers as he slithers into position.

He nods at Garmadon. Both their eyes glow bright red as though in synchronization.

General Fang turns to the new generals. They look terrified. General Fang begins shaking his tail rattle. The spirals in his red eyes begin spinning and he hypnotizes the new generals.

"Look into my eyessssss. I control you. Follow the Way of Lord Garmadon. Let anger ssssssseep into your heartssssss."

One of the generals looks away. He looks like a male version of the previous General # 2.

"Ah ah ah, can't have you resisting now, can we?"Garmadon says as he appears behind the general, places his hands on the his head and forces him to look at General Fang.

"Follow the Way of Lord Garmadon." General Fang speaks in a compelling voice.

The glowing, golden auras in each of the general's torsos burn brightly. But in Garmadon's torso is a dark purple aura. A wisp of his purple aura floats out of his torso and splits into seven snake-shaped wisps. These snake-shape wisps drift in the air and slither into the torsos of the seven generals. Their respective golden auras become tainted by the purple aura.

The new generals twitch in uncontrollable spasms. Intense percussive music plays in the background as this happens.

We see a shot from behind General Fang. He moves out of the way, revealing a very stern and angry-looking batch of generals. Each of their eyes briefly flash red. The Shark Army soldiers in the room cover their mouths in shock.

"Whom do you ssssserve?" General Fang asks.

The new generals all speak as one.

"All hail Lord Garmadon!"

 **CUT TO: INT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL HALLWAY - DAY**

The Ninja all jump out of their lockers. They have all changed back to their civilian outfits. They are all sweaty and panting as they run back to class.

"But seriously, did you just have blab about your secret identity to your dad?" Kai whispers to Lloyd.

"Later, Kai. We'll talk about it later." Lloyd hushes back.

 **INT. SCHOOL CLASSROOM - DAY**

The Ninja enter the classroom and try to return to their seats as inconspicuously as possible. The words "Show and tell tomorrow" are written on the black board.

"Ahem!" Ms. Laudita notices the Ninja and calls their attention. "You were all in the bathroom for a very long time."

The Ninja all freeze in place.

"Yeah... We all got... diarrhea?" Lloyd improvises an excuse.

He shrugs his shoulders sheepishly and hopes Ms. Laudita will buy it.

"Really? Simultaneously?" Ms. Laudita says as she raises an eyebrow.

All the other Ninja immediately go along with Lloyd's excuse, all speaking at the same time.

 **"** Diarrhea like you couldn't believe!" Kai enthusiastically proclaims.

"It was a most painful bowel movement." Zane says matter-of-factly.

"I actually didn't poop my pants this time." Jay proudly declares.

"Not as watery as usual but it was relentless!" Nya exclaims.

"Ugh! I shouldn't have eaten all that chocolate cake." Cole clutches his stomach and groans.

Kai turns around, bends over and points at his butt.

"We had bricks coming out of our..." he begins.

"Okay! That's enough! Just go back to your seats!" A disgusted Ms. Laudita immediately interrupts Kai to keep him from finishing his sentence.

The Ninja all return to their seats but everyone else visibly inches their desks away.

"Hey! We washed our hands!" Nya

 **CUT TO: INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY**

A flashing light catches Terri's attention. She looks at the computer screen as it finishes loading, flashing the sign "GOLDEN POWER EXTRACTION COMPLETE". The Brick Separators have been completely drained of Golden Power. They are now just regular orange brick separators.

Terri gasps and runs off to Garmadon.

 **INT. GARMADON'S THRONE ROOM - DAY**

Everyone in the Throne Room is still completely silent. All the Shark Army soldiers are afraid. They know whoever speaks next risks being fired out of the volcano. The new generals don't seem aware of this.

Garmadon is pacing impatiently around the room. One general reluctantly raises his hand. It is the new General # 2, the one who previously resisted.

"Yes, new General number 2?" Garmadon turns toward General # 2 in mock curiosity.

"Sir, we've been sitting here in silence for several hours and I... generally need to do a number 2 so... can I go to the bathroom?"

Garmadon narrows his eyes in anger.

 **"** It's " **May I?** May I go to the bathroom?" You **imbecile!** " Garmadon scolds harshly.

He presses the button again and we go to a distant shot of the new General # 2 being fired out of the volcano.

"Maaaaaaaaaaay Iiiiiiiiiiiiii?" Too late, General # 2 shouts his rebuttal as he flies through the air.

"Grammar is important even when plotting to take over the world. Now, anyone else have anything to say?" Garmadon turns back to the other generals.

All the new generals squirm and shake their heads silently.

Suddenly, Terri bursts in through the doors, slamming them open. All the generals and Shark Army soldiers struggle to contain their gasps.

"Sir, Project Separator is complete. Your Megaweapon is ready." Terri exclaims.

 **CUT TO: INT. VOLCANO ATRIUM - DAY**

We go to a close up shot of the Megaweapon. Garmadon leans into view and admires the War Hammer. It glows with Golden Power. Garmadon places a hand on it and the glow fades away.

"At last! The powers of the **FOUR GOLDEN WEAPONS OF RECREATION** are mine!" Garmadon gloats.

"What isssss it, Ssssir?" General Fang inquires.

Garmadon turns to General Fang and explains.

"Traditionally, a Hammer is a useful tool for building. But a War Hammer is a weapon of destruction. The Megaweapon is both. Infused with Golden Power, it now has the unlimited potential both to create and to destroy.

Garmadon lifts the War Hammer from its pedestal and moves toward General Fang in a vaguely threatening manner.

"General Fang, how would you like to join me on my next attack?"

General Fang's eyes widen and he looks horrified at the idea. He instinctively clutches at the faded scar on his abdomen.

"Sssssoooo sssssorry but I musssssst decline." He says as he slowly starts to back away.

"Come now, you'll be safe. I promise." Garmadon assures General Fang but continues advancing in a show of dominance.

"Then why don't you invoke it?" General Fang quips defensively.

Garmadon answers as though talking to a toddler.

"You know it doesn't work that way. The powers of life and death are beyond even my abilities.

Garmadon wistfully looks up at the dragon skull of Demic. General Fang follows Garmadon's gaze. Garmadon looks genuinely sorrowful for a beat. He shakes it off. Then he gives a demonic smile to General Fang.

"But I have a good feeling about this one.

Garmadon grips the War Hammer in his hands and gives it a spin.

"I'll even let you ride in my mech this time."

"What mech? You don't even have your sssshark mech anymore. The Ninja trasssshed it, remember?" General Fang hisses back.

"Yes. That Black Ninja packs a real punch. He has a spunk and willfulness that almost feels... familiar." Garmadon mutters to himself, not really listening to General Fang.

"And now your mech liessssss at the bottom of the ssssea." General Fang continues.

"Trashed. At the bottom of the sea. Heh." Garmadon mulls over these words.

He tightens his grip on the War Hammer and yells out a raging war cry.

"AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!"

With all his strength, Garmadon uses the War Hammer to strike a wall of the volcano lair. Streaks of Golden Power snake out from the impact point and spread to the rest of the wall.

After a beat, the entire wall EXPLODES!

 **KABOOM!**

Lego bricks rain down everywhere. Everyone except Garmadon panics. There is now a massive hole in the side of the Volcano Lair.

"Ssssssirr! What are you doing?" General Fang cries out as he tries to shield himself from the falling Lego bricks.

As though on cue, Terri hands Garmadon the blueprint of the humanoid mech.

"Observe." Garmadon says as he looks back at General Fang and gives a knowing smile.

Garmadon holds aloft the Megaweapon. He looks at the blueprint then closes his eyes and concentrates. The Megaweapon begins to glow. Waves of Golden Power radiate out of of the Megaweapon and into the Lego bricks. Ominous choir music begins playing.

The Lego bricks and pieces float in the air and stack on top of each other, creating some sort of brick built structure. One by one the bricks snap and click into place. Slowly, the structure begins to take shape. Close up on Garmadon as he strains to mentally build the new mech. Then close up on General Fang with an awestruck expression.

When Garmadon is finished, he sets the Megaweapon on the ground and collapses on all sixes. He is sweating and breathing heavily. Using the Megaweapon clearly takes a toll on him.

General Fang moves to Garmadon's side and helps him up. Then they both stare at a giant, shark-themed but humanoid mech.

"I call it the Garma Mecha Man. I'm sure Luh-loyd will come to his senses eventually but I will still conquer Ninjago with or without his help."

Garmadon then turns to General Fang.

"What do you say?" He asks.

General Fang looks at the mech and gulps audibly. He then looks back at Garmadon and concedes.

 **"** Assss you wisssshhhh."

* * *

 **A/N:** Dead dragons? Oni masks? Garmadon? Lots of symbolism going on there in the background. It was heavily influenced by Season 8. Demic was also the original name of Garmadon.

Brick Separators actually were in the Ninjago Movie in Garmadon's lair. That's where I got the inspiration for the Megaweapon. In case you're not familiar with what a Brick Separator is, it does what the name implies. You can either use it to take apart Lego bricks or to undo mistakes in building. In a sense, it helps both create and destroy. Now, we finally see what the Megaweapon is capable of.

There's a single reference to Meowthra in the Ninjago movie if you look really hard.

With all the information available in this chapter, it is possible to already figure out what Cole's relationship with Garmadon is. Speculate away. You can also pretty much guess what Lloyd's power is. It'll be revealed in the next chapter but this chapter gives a pretty obvious hint.

General Fang is an original composite character. He mostly resembles Skales but with Slithraa's subservience, a scarred torso like most Venomari and a brick build tail, like from the concept art in the "Ninjago Making Of" book.

Lastly, random question, how would any of you feel about a series of prequel oneshots? Would you like it in prose form or script form?

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **Zena Airale:** Lloyd is in a world of hurt.

 **StoriesAreMagic** and **JadeBlue:** I'm glad you love Lou and the Royal Blacksmith's showstopper.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** Yes, I made the reveal like in the trailers. It was very iconic and I couldn't do it any other way. Yes, that exact imagine spot. Also, a mech becomes an extension of the ninja piloting it. The secret identity slip might be a problem. But it won't be Lloyd's problem. I have added a single reference to Meowthra. I hope your cat appreciates it. Not to worry, no cats were harmed in the making of this story. That was a professional stuntcat with a lot of experience and who knows what she's doing.

 **JadeBlue:** As team members, Lloyd and Cole have each other's backs but they need to work out a lot of issues.

 **Guest:** YES! I WANT TO DO THAT SO BADLY! And yeah, the song does fit Lloyd.

 **Chic:** Just as Cole looks up to Batman, Lloyd probably looks up to Iron Man. And this is why Batman and Cole would both agree that IRON MAN SUCKS!

 **Boomer-Range:** Oh Rebuild This City! I chose the song but the idea was based on a scene from the movie novelization. And yes, Garmadon did say that to twist the knife further.

 **GOGOJo:** I'm so glad to hear that I succeeded. The rift runs deep now. I wonder what it would take to repair *ahem* coughRebuildcough *ahem* it?

 **GeekChic:** Is it really the lowest point? Because we haven't even gotten Koko in the whole mess yet. Ah yes, telling Master Wu. Master "There's-something-I-haven't-told-you" Wu. Let's just say it runs in the family.

 **ShyChick:** Putting unrealistic or unhealthy expectations on kids will almost always inevitably end in a lot of resentment. But yes, Garmadon loves Lloyd, It's just that "you always hurt the ones you love" and all that. Things would work out so much more smoothly if Lloyd and Cole talked out their issues with each other. Cole tends to bottle up his emotions while Lloyd tends to take things for granted. Cole has a lot of issues but I think he's only this well adjusted because of his healthy relationship with his own father. I'm doing away with the whole daddy issues thing that only lasted for all of one episode anyway. And don't worry about long reviews. I absolutely appreciate them very much!


	13. Something I Haven't Told You (Part 1)

**A/N:** OMG! I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER! It's been raining so hard and internet hasn't been reliable. Believe me, if I could, there's nothing I'd love more than just being able to write this story in my spare time, of which I haven't had much lately.

This and Chapter 14 will be a 2-part chapter.

Just a heads up, lots of possible GREENFLAME in this chapter. But just to reiterate, I don't personally ship Greenflame but the interactions between Kai and Lloyd can be interpreted as greenflame for those who do ship it.

* * *

 **EXT. NINJAGO HIGH SCHOOL - DAY**

The school bell rings, signalling the end of class. The school's main entrance doors slam open. A motorcycle flies out and we go into slow motion for a beat to see Nya driving it and the other Ninja all holding on for dear life.

Nya has an intense look about her as she drives maniacally along the road. She swerves this way and that avoiding other vehicles and pedestrians until she makes her way to a long open stretch of road overlooking the ocean.

 **EXT. OCEAN VIEW ROAD - DAY**

With no other vehicles in sight, the motorcycle cruises along smoothly. We then focus on Cole as he hears an ethereal sound and a splashing noise coming from the ocean. He turns toward the noise.

"Hey guys, look! It's the Sacred Koi!" Cole calls the attention of the other Ninja.

Everyone turns to the ocean and sees a giant, brick-built, multi-colored fish jumping out of the water. The Sacred Koi looks older now than she did in the flashback. She now sports long feeler tendrils extending from the sides of her face and fins. The sun glistens across her scales majestically as she appears to almost fly in and out of the water.

"WOAAAAHHHH!" Everyone gasps.

The Sacred Koi catches sight of the six Ninja and waves at them amicably, for the Sacred Koi is a Friend to All. The Ninja cheer and wave back in response.

We then focus on Jay who has a increasingly panicked look on his face.

"Uhh, Nya? I don't want to be a backseat driver in our relationship but you should really keep your eyes on the road!" Jay cries out.

Nya turns her head back to the road in front of her and she narrowly avoids colliding with an oncoming vehicle. She reacts not a second too soon, swerving hard to the right and going off the road, away from the direction of the ocean.

The motorcycle crashes into a fence but they still keep going, straight into the area of the city that was destroyed during Garmadon's attack where the Rebuild effort is still ongoing.

 **EXT. REBUILD EFFORT AREA - DAY**

The Ninjago City civilians are all still singing and dancing in perfect choreography to the song "Rebuild this City!" as they clean up the debris and reconstruct the destroyed buildings.

"Marconi plays the mamba! Listen to the radio! Don't you remember? Rebuild this city!" Lou and the Royal Blacksmiths continue singing.

"Rebuild this city on rock and... AAAAAAAAHHH!" The civilian crowd's singing is suddenly interrupted.

The civilians shout and jump out of the way as Nya and the other Ninja drive through their formation. The music grinds to a halt just as the motorcycle skids to a stop. Nya and the other Ninja begin to apologize. In response, the civilians frown and scowl angrily at being interrupted.

"Hehe, sorry about that, folks!" Nya self-consciously admits.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Jay says in a panicked voice.

"Our most humble apologies." Zane tries to appease the angry civilians.

We go to a close up of Cole as he smiles and raises his hands sheepishly as though to say "whoops!"

We then go to a close up of Lou as he looks at his son disapprovingly.

We then focus on Nya and Jay as they share a look and nod. They both jump off the motorcycle and start picking up Lego pieces of debris. In complete synchronization, Nya and Jay swiftly Master Build a makeshift turntable out of the Lego pieces. Once the turntable is finished, they both push Cole toward it.

Acting on instinct, Cole doesn't hesitate to start spinning a record. He starts playing the Lego Batman dubstep version of "We Built This City".

[SONG: We Built This City Alternative Remix by Meanstreet Boys]

The music picks up and everyone starts dancing to the beat again. Cole looks at his father and Lou smiles proudly. In the background, Lloyd witnesses all of this and turns away. The singing continues.

"Rebuild this City! Rebuild this city on Rock and Roll!" Lou and the Royal Blacksmiths begin singing again.

With the crowd of civilians getting swept away by the rhythm of the invigorating beats, the six Ninja inconspicuously make their exit. Cole spots a long-haired man with a red headband and a red sleeveless top. This is **CHONG THE GONG AND GUITAR ROCKER.**

Cole pulls him over to the turntables. Chong continues spinning the records while Cole quietly leaves with the others. They all ride away wordlessly on the motorcycle. While they are all secretly relieved no one seems to have commented that Lloyd is the Green Ninja, the expressions on their faces become a little less lighthearted and a little more stern and serious as they make their way to the Secret Ninja Warehouse.

 **CUT TO: INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

We go to a wide shot of all the Ninja's Mechs standing motionless while the sounds of hammering, drilling and sawing can be heard in the background. Master Chicken is busy repairing all the Ninja's Mechs from the damage they took in the earlier battle. She then pops out of the Ice Tank carrying a hammer and a wrench.

Master Chicken flies out of shot but then quickly returns carrying a comically large payload of bombs and missiles. She haphazardly stuffs them into the Quake Mech. The distant rumbling sound of a motor can be heard and Master Chicken turns toward the source.

A warehouse door opens and the Ninja ride in on the motorcycle.

"Bok bok!" Master Chicken says but subtitles at the bottom of the screen read "You're back!"

Master Chicken flies towards the Ninja and instinctively jumps into the open arms of Zane.

"It is good to see you again too, my friend." Zane says as he cuddles Master Chicken and discretely feeds her a yellow Lego stud of chicken feed.

We then focus on Lloyd who walks away from the others with a frown on his face.

"Ahem!" Kai coughs to get his attention.

Lloyd turns around and sees everyone, except Zane, upset at him. Zane is too busy petting Master Chicken in the corner.

"You owe us an explanation, Lloyd!" Nya demands.

"Okay, I know you all want to talk about the giant mech in the room." Lloyd begins.

"No man, we want to talk about the fact that you revealed your secret identity..." Kai declares, missing the metaphor.

"And possibly mine!" Cole adds.

"...to your dad!" Kai continues.

Nya facepalms at this.

"I wouldn't mind talking about the giant mech in the room. The Ice Tank is my favorite." Zane looks up and chimes in.

Jay and Cole both facepalm.

"I'm sorry, okay! I'm sorry! I got caught up in the moment! You have NO IDEA what I'm going through right now!" Lloyd is frustrated and feels backed up into a corner. His eyes fill with tears and he lashes out.

"Well, maybe we would if you just told us!" Cole replies.

"Ugh! You just don't understand!" Lloyd counters.

"Then help us understand, Bro!" Kai pleads.

Lloyd breathes heavily. He is visibly aggravated but tones down his voice to less than a shout.

"Every time I look in a mirror, I can still see my past evil self taunting me, just pushing me to let out my inner darkness and go back to how I used to be! I've had to fight it back **every single time** , to remain good. But I'm just so **TIRED** of fighting!"

Lloyd's eyes briefly flicker red as he emphasizes his words. The other Ninja each hold back a gasp but Lloyd doesn't notice.

"You guys don't have to struggle with an evil side! None of you do!" Lloyd continues.

"Lloyd!" Kai reaches out to Lloyd. His voice is full of concern.

But Lloyd cuts him off and continues his tirade. His voice gradually grows louder.

"Everyone hates me because I used to be evil. But I've tried being good and everyone still hates me! And my Dad really hasn't been helping things! He tried to give me a torture chamber for my birthday this morning and he was torturing a dummy of the Green Ninja and I just **SNAPPED**..."

Lloyd's eyes now clearly burn a bright red. Everyone cringes slightly and holds on to someone else. Jay clings to Cole. Zane clings to Master Chicken. Nya clings to her brother, Kai.

"...because why do I have to keep saving everyone and they still don't get to know that **I AM THE GREEN NINJA**!" Lloyd declares as he angrily stamps his foot on the ground and simultaneously brings his hands down for emphasis. Unbeknownst to him, a blast of Golden Power bursts out and emanates from Lloyd's body.

The Golden Power spreads to the surrounding Lego pieces and starts dismantling the nearby Lego brick-built structures. Video arcade cabinets, a jukebox, a double-decker couch, etc. Their respective bricks and parts detach from each other and start floating in the air. Lloyd doesn't seem aware that any of this is happening.

Everyone else gasps and starts backing away from Lloyd. Their eyes are wide open, full of awe but also mixed with a twinge of fear.

"Everyone in school hates me and now even my Dad hates both versions of me!" Lloyd continues ranting.

A look of resolution befalls Kai, as though a secret understanding dawns upon him. As a brother, as a friend, there is a favor to be repaid. His personal anger and frustrations are not the same as Lloyd's current rage but he can empathize.

Kai steps toward Lloyd and when he is close enough, he tackles Lloyd in a tight embrace.

"Lloyd, it's okay, really. It's gonna be okay. Remember. Deep breaths. Deep breaths." Kai consoles Lloyd just as Lloyd did to him.

Lloyd is stunned. He remains unaware of his Golden Power still levitating the objects behind him.

"We don't hate you." Kai assures.

"It's true. Kai's right." Nya agrees.

She tentatively steps closer to Lloyd and hugs him too.

"Even before we met you, we didn't hate you." Jay says as he scrambles over to Lloyd and gives him a hug.

"We were mostly terrified of you." Zane clarifies.

He goes over to Lloyd and adds himself to the group hug. Master Chicken also cuddles Lloyd.

"But now we look up to you." Kai affirms.

Cole is the last one to hug Lloyd. He knows better than to put his personal differences with Lloyd above Lloyd's welfare.

"What the rest of the city thinks doesn't matter. Don't listen to your dad. Listen to us." Cole says.

With his eyes still red, Lloyd cries tears of liquid fire. The sudden pain shocks him out of his stunned state.

"Ow!" Lloyd cries as he breaks away from everyone's embrace.

He turns away from his friends and inadvertently sees his Golden Power levitating the Lego pieces.

"What the?" Lloyd gasps and releases his hold over the objects.

The Golden Power dissipates and the pieces fall back to the floor.

"Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay, Bro. Don't cry." Kai wipes Lloyd's tears away.

With his power over fire, Kai doesn't get burned.

But Lloyd doesn't calm down. Instead, he begins to panic.

"Liquid fire tears? Sudden power bursts? This never happened before!"

Lloyd looks at his hands, as though testing his power. Golden sparks appear.

"Why is this happening? What's wrong with me?" Lloyd cries out.

 **"** Lloyd, relax. You're just going through your power incontinence phase. We've all been through it…"Kai gestures at himself and the other Ninja.

The others smile and nod reassuringly.

"...now, it's your turn." Kai says.

"It can be really scary and unpredictable at first." Jay explains. "But then you feel like you can do anything and then you make a lot of really stupid, impulsive decisions and…"

"Oh..." Lloyd looks away in shame.

Everyone realizes this is exactly what happened earlier when Lloyd confronted his father. What Lloyd did may have consequences, but the other Ninja become more sympathetic to his situation.

"I wish Garmadon wasn't my father."

Lloyd sobs and quietly mutters. His eyes return to their normal green color.

"It's okay, Lloyd. Nobody's parents are perfect." Nya tries to console Lloyd, patting him on the back.

"Yeah. I mean, my mom is weird and collects seashells. Your dad levels cities and attacks innocent people. So they've all got their quirks, you know?" Jay attempts to comfort Lloyd.

Everyone just stares at Jay awkwardly for a beat, wondering how the two scenarios are even remotely comparable.

"Oh! I know what'll cheer you up! Presents!" Kai attempts to break the awkwardness.

Everyone except Lloyd scatters and runs off to find the gifts they made for Lloyd. One at a time, they each present their gifts to him.

Jay hands a sand green, molded Lego piece over to Lloyd.

"It's a scarf. I knitted it myself with love in every stitch." Jay says.

"Comfy! I'm definitely feeling the love, Jay." Lloyd says as he puts the scarf on.

Nya hands Lloyd a flat 3x2 Lego tile that has a casual group portrait of all the Ninja, in their civilian clothes, all hanging out with each other.

"It's a picture of all of us. I painted it myself." Nya proudly proclaims.

"I will cherish it forever, Nya." Lloyd says with a smile.

"Lloyd! Master Chicken gives you the gift of her unborn children!" Zane says as he hands a basket of eggs over to Lloyd.

"Bokbok bokkok!" Master Chicken asserts. Subtitles at the bottom of the screen read "I made them myself."

Zane then pushes a brick-built snowman over to Lloyd.

 **"** And look! I built you a new Dad! Now you won't have to worry about Garmadon ever again." Zane gleefully maintains.

"Uhhhh... thaaankkkss, Zane!" Lloyd says as he smiles awkwardly.

He takes the basket of eggs and cautiously pokes at the snowman.

In the background, Nya pulls Zane over and whispers to him.

"Oh Zane, sweetie. I know you mean well but that's not how it works. Kai already tried that."

Cole goes up to Lloyd and gives him a shiny golden rock.

"I know you like dragons so..." Cole begins.

 **"** No way! Is this Dragon Amber?" Lloyd excitedly asks.

"It's **Golden Dragon Amber**."

 **"** Woah! Cool! Where'd you even find this?"

 **"** When you grow up in the mining town of Metalonia, you learn to know where to look."

"Thanks, Cole!"

Cole smiles a genuine smile. Kai then pushes a large red box towards Lloyd.

 **"** Don't forget the best present of all!"

Kai runs offscreen as Lloyd looks at the box quizzically. He opens the large red box and Kai pops out from inside.

"Surprise!" Kai yells.

"Kai? You're the best present?" Lloyd asks.

"You bet I am, Lloyd!"

Nya muffles her laughter.

"Okay, honestly, I'm broke." Kai admits. "Also, I lack any productive skills to make an actual present because we all know what happened **last time** but consider this a solid favor IOU. Ask me to do anything for you, anything at all and it is done!"

Kai does a series of kicks inside the box, causing him and the box to topple over. Everyone laughs in good fun and Lloyd helps Kai.

"It's the thought that counts but thanks!" Lloyd says as he helps Kai up.

Lloyd pulls Kai into a hug and whispers into his ear.

"But for the record, you're already the best present."

Kai's face lights up and embraces Lloyd in a tight bear hug. We again hear that distinct and audible **crunching noise** of something being broken when Lloyd was last hugged by both Kai and Zane.

Kai releases Lloyd and he catches his breath.

"Thanks you guys! I feel a lot better now." Lloyd smiles at his teammates and they all smile back.

Everything is peaceful for a beat. Perhaps a little too peaceful. So peaceful, in fact, that ambient flute music starts playing diegetically in the background. Cole notices this and comments.

"Hey, where's that tranquil music coming from?"

Cole runs outside to the source of the flute music and everyone follows behind.

 **EXT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

Outside the warehouse, the Ninja see a large, flying ship arrive at the warehouse docks. This is the **DESTINY'S BOUNTY** , a tea barge that serves as Master Wu's makeshift home and mode of transportation. It has red, double dragon heads as masthead frontpieces and its white sails are decorated with a red dragon design and Master Wu's insignia. The dragon heads resemble red versions of Demic's dragon skull or approximations of what he would have looked like when still alive.

"Hey, look everyone! Master Wu is back!"Nya points out.

The rotating jet engines of the Destiny's Bounty shudder to a halt as the ship lands at the docks. Before the Ninja go off to greet Master Wu, Lloyd turns to the rest of his team.

"I'll be the one to tell Master Wu that I revealed my secret identity, alright?" Lloyd says.

Everyone else nods seriously in response.

Master Wu jumps off of the Destiny's Bounty and walks to his students using his flute staff as a walking stick.

"Hello students!" greets Master Wu.

"Master Wu!" All the Ninja cry out in reply.

"Bok bok!" Master Chicken clucks condescendingly. The subtitles under Master Chicken read "Old Man!"

"And Chicken." Master Wu talks down to Master Chicken in a belittling tone.

 **"** Bok BOKBOK BOKKOK bok bok!" Master Chicken replies aggressively. The subtitles read "That's MASTER CHICKEN to you!"

Master Wu is suddenly intimidated by Master Chicken and he goes into a defensive stance with his staff.

He and Master Chicken don't seem to have the best relationship or even see each others as equals. They both squint at each other in a sort of showdown, challenging each other's authority, until Cole breaks the tension.

Cole puts himself between the two Masters and gently pushes Master Wu toward the warehouse and away from Master Chicken.

"So... Master Wu, how was your trip to your Motherland?" Cole asks, playing the peacekeeper.

Master Chicken harrumphs and leaves to continue repairing the Ninja's Mechs.

"Ah yes, my Motherland." Master Wu muses.

We go to a close up shot of Master Wu's face and then dissolve into an imagine spot at the...

 **EXT. CHINA HOT SPRINGS - DAY**

Tinkling shamisen music plays as we see Master Wu soaking in the bubbling water in a non-Lego porcelain Chinaware tea cup. A non-Lego porcelain tea pot pours steaming hot tea in the background. The scene is shot such that the tea cup resembles a hot spring and the tea pot resembles a relaxing waterfall.

"The China Hot Springs were most relaxing." master Wu speaks in a voice over in the background.

We then dissolve back to...

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

We pull back from the close up shot of Master Wu to reveal that everyone is already inside the warehouse. Master Wu pulls out a non-Lego tea bag from behind him.

"Oh and Happy Birthday, Lloyd! This makes for a good pillow but you can also use it for emergency tea." Master Wu says as he hands it over to Lloyd.

Lloyd takes the tea bag and sniffs it.

"Oooh, Green tea! My favorite! Thank you, Uncle!" Lloyd says.

"Also, Lloyd has something very important to say!" Jay gently nudges Lloyd toward Master Wu.

 **"** Yes, Nephew, what is it?"

Lloyd smiles like someone who has something to hide. his gaze becomes shifty and he tries to avoid eye contact.

"I… started manifesting my power incontinence today?" Lloyd speaks hesitantly.

Master Wu is surprised.

"Really? That is great news, Nephew!"

We then suddenly go to an ominous close up shot of Master Wu's face as he quickly starts muttering to himself.

"Unless it was somehow activated because my brother has successfully harnessed the Power of the Golden Weapons!"

"The Power of the What-Now?" Cole interrupts Master Wu's rambling.

We pull back to a mid shot of everyone looking at Master Wu with puzzled looks on their faces.

"Nothing, nothing! I was just saying congratulations, Lloyd! You are now that much closer to unlocking your true potential." Master Wu brushes it off.

Kai half-heartedly punches Lloyd on the shoulder.

"I think Lloyd has something **else** to say."

Lloyd punches Kai back on the shoulder a little more forcefully, causing Kai to wince. Lloyd then puts on a smile but speaks through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I'll get to that, **Kai."**

Lloyd turns back to Master Wu.

"What I was gonna say was... did you do something new with your beard because it looks amazing!"

"Why yes, I've been using a new conditioner. Thank you for noticing." Master Wu seems pleased with himself as he proudly strokes his beard.

Cole rolls his eyes. He wants to get this important conversation over with. He tries a slightly different approach.

"So did you see us fight Garmadon?"

The other Ninja pick up on Cole's intention.

"Yeah! Did you see us kick Garmadon's butt?" Nya asks.

"We vanquished him!" Zane states confidently.

"Ba-ba bam!" Kai says as he does several kicking motions for emphasis.

"I saw you fight my brother and I saw him retreat. But you did not defeat him." Master Wu berates his students.

"Yeah, yeah. We know. But did you hear us say anything? Anything in particular?" Nya prods.

"No. I was too far away. I watched everything through a telescope." Master Wu says as he holds up his staff and peers through it as though it were a telescope.

Everyone, except Lloyd and Master Wu, groans because they are not getting any nearer to the topic.

"Cole, I saw you use your Quake Mech to hurl my brother's mech into the ocean. It flew right past me." Master Wu appears to compliment Cole.

Cole's face actually lights up as Master Wu says this. He smiles.

But then Master Wu actually reprimands the Ninja.

"You rely too much on your mechs. All of you!"

Cole's smile disappears.

"Fighting with giant mechs is not the Ninja way." scolds Master Wu.

"Yes, I absolutely ag..." Cole interjects.

But Master Wu shushes Cole with his staff.

"Shhh! Don't interrupt!"

Cole is momentarily stunned but then afterwards, his gaze just becomes apathetic. Master Wu doesn't notice and instead continues lecturing.

"You all have the power to win the battle without technology. When you start using your mind, you won't need mechs and machines. I want you to practice Spinjitsu."

Master Wu then performs a Spinjitzu tornado.

 **'** Oh that's easy, watch this!" Jay says before he performs a Spinjitzu tornado.

All the Ninja follow after with their own Spinjitzu tornadoes, with Lloyd creating his tornado last. Each tornado's color corresponds to the Ninja's elements. Lloyd's normally green tornado is now accentuated with golden sparks.

But one by one, the Ninja fall to the ground, unable to sustain their Spinjitzu tornadoes for more than a few seconds, all except Lloyd whose tornado instead seems boosted by his Golden Power. All the other ninja are sprawled across the floor. Master Wu stops his tornado. Lloyd stops his tornado shortly after.

Master Wu looks down at his students, who are all trying to woozily trying to get back up from the floor. But Lloyd doesn't even look winded.

Master Wu nods approvingly at his nephew but shakes his head in disappointment at everyone else.

"Students, do you know what is the difference between a student and a master?" Master Wu begins his lecture.

"A post graduate degree?" Jay cracks a joke.

"No. A student fails. **A master never quits.** " Master Wu speaks wisely.

To demonstrate this, Wu executes several martial arts moves flawlessly.

"Woah!" The Ninja gasp altogether.

"Spinjitzu is more than just a martial art of spinning kicks and punches." Master Wu begins. "It is a philosophy of living. Spinjitzu is all about balance and becoming a master of your own self."

Master Wu plants his staff on the ground and it stands on its own. Wu jumps up and balances on top of the staff with seemingly no effort.

 **"** It takes a lot of effort to make something look effortless. But with years of rigorous training and practice, eventually, your hard work and determination will pay off and one day, you too could be a master."

As Master Wu says this, all the Ninja are completely in awe. They look like they are filled with hopes and dreams. Even Cole seems inspired by Master Wu's speech.

"Unless you are the Chosen One, because that means you are a natural." Master Wu concludes.

Cole's mood deflates and he rolls his eyes in the background.

Master Wu turns to Lloyd and gestures at him with his staff.

"Lloyd, you are the Chosen One."

As he says this, Master Wu's eyes very briefly glow green before returning to their normal black color. Everyone is shocked.

"Gasp!" Zane says out loud.

"Whhaaaaaattt?!" Jay screeches.

"Master Wu, what the heck was that?" Kai demands to know.

"Your eyes! They turned green like Lloyd's!" Nya exclaims.

Cole is speechless but intrigued. On the other hand, Lloyd looks like his mind has just been blown.

"Yes, Lloyd, you possess a rare gift. It does not come naturally to me but my brother used to have it. Your green eyes are not just for looks, you know." Master Wu continues.

"What do you mean, Uncle?" Lloyd asks.

Master Wu goes into several martial arts forms. As he does this, Golden Power trails behind his hands. It seeps into the surrounding Lego pieces and lifts them into the air. But instead of dismantling the nearby Lego brick-built structures like Lloyd's Golden Power did, Master Wu's Golden Power lifts them completely intact.

"Golden Power is all around us, inside every thing and in every being. It is the very force by which we are bound together or broken apart, and how we are connected to the universe itself."

As he says this, Master Wu continues manipulating the Golden Power in the floating Lego pieces to create a miniature brick-built version of the Sacred Koi.

"With this power, you can access the Elemental Power of Creation and shape the very world around you at a whim."

"Of course!" Nya suddenly interjects and turns to Lloyd. "Lloyd, that's why you were having trouble Master Building your mech earlier. Your powers were going haywire!"

"Yeah, that's **totally** the reason why." Lloyd laughs nervously.

Lloyd gestures with his hand to emphasize his point.

"Pay attention!" Master Wu admonishes.

"Yes, Master Wu!" Lloyd and Nya both snap to attention.

"Everyone from the Cloud Kingdom can tap into the Golden Power. But very few can see its essence inside living creatures. Lloyd, your green eyes allow you to see into the very souls of other people, even your own." Master Wu cryptically.

Lloyd's eyes open wide as the information hits him like a ton of bricks. He repeats Master Wu's words in a soft self-whisper.

"Even my own."

Lloyd turns away and catches a glimpse of his reflection in the glass screen of a nearby arcade cabinet. His evil past self leers back menacingly. Lloyd turns back to his uncle.

"Master Wu, there's something important I have to tell you."

Lloyd looks at his teammates who all nod gravely in support.

"Of course, Nephew." Master Wu replies. "Students, Lloyd and I will have mentor talk. The rest of you practice Spinjitzu and don't feel at all like I am giving Lloyd special treatment."

Cole sighs and rolls his eyes as he and the other Ninja get into training formation.

* * *

 **A/N:** Chong the Gong and Guitar Rocker is based on one of the minifigs from the Lego Ninjago Movie CMF series. His cameo was inspired by his minifig's description on the Lego website: "The ninja need some music while saving the city and this rocker knows how to play. Known to say "We built this city, we built this city on rock and GONG."" I just came up with the name Chong because it rhymes with gong.

Finally, Lloyd's power is revealed! Or has it? "Golden Power" is pretty much straight up Lego "Clutch Power" or the ability of bricks to stick together. On a related note, in the "Royal Blacksmiths" episode, Cole references the character, Clutch Powers, as the creator of the Blade Cup. There may be some future references in story from the Clutch Powers movie.

I was gonna say this later but I might as well bring it up now before I forget. Morro won't be mentioned in Project Rebuild and neither will he have a cameo. But the Evil Green Ninja reflection is meant to be a reference to him. One could say he's still metaphorically possessing Lloyd. When Lloyd says "I AM THE GREEN NINJA", I imagine Lloyd saying it just like how Morro said it in the show.

Yes, Cole grew up in Metalonia. Karloff might get a cameo but other elemental powers won't be included in this story. Skylor already got her cameo.

Master Wu and Master Chicken are both Masters but they don't exactly see eye to eye. I'd say this is because Master Wu is definitively anti-Mech while Master Chicken is definitely pro-Mech.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **Thanks for all the feedback on prequel oneshot idea!** **Shoutout to GOGOJo for originally being the one to give me the idea!**

 **GOGOJo:** Garmadon loves his son. He just doesn't know how to properly show it. And yes, it really should have been obvious in hindsight. Thanks again for being the first to bring up the idea of a prequel!

 **GeekChic:** That was the best alibi they could come up with on the spot. Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely open the prequel oneshots for prompts but I can't promise doing all of them, just the ones I can fit into the narrative.

 **JadeBlue:** The cat may or may not have been Meothra. It is a Schrodinger's Cat. Lloyd probably knows how to throw here because Garmadon probably taught him a lot of... questionably evil things back in the day.

 **ShyChick:** Thanks! No one in their right mind would work for Garmadon without some sort of brainwashing involved. Also, Demic is actually Garmadon's dead dragon. But more on him in later chapters.

 **Boomer-Range:** I hope the wait hasn't been too long. I'll get to the oneshots once Season 9 comes out. Things will get even more real!

 **StoriesAreMagic:** The tissues catching fire bit was actually based on the Behind The Scenes reel. I am PUMPED at your reactions to everything! Yeah, what is up with Cole and Garmadon? I wonder if it has anything to do with General Fang's scar.


	14. Something I Haven't Told You (Part 2)

**A/N:** I AM NOT DEAD! THIS IS NOT A DEAD FIC! I'm so sorry! I know this chapter is long overdue but I wouldn't have taken such a long impromptu hiatus if not for a recent foot injury within the past 5 weeks that has been and still is causing me a not inconsiderable amount of pain. My weekly schedule has completely gone out the window because of real life stuff. But rest assured that this is not a dead fic. It has a set beginning, middle and end. I am not giving up on this story. Expect more regular updates as I recover.

Additionally, this chapter has gone through many revisions because I don't want to post a weak chapter that I would ultimately not be satisfied with just for the sake of updating. I strive to follow the Lego motto of "Only the best is good enough".

Thanks so much to **mrfang2** for helping me edit this chapter. I couldn't have streamlined this chapter without him.

Parts of season 9 will also be incorporated in the story but (SPOILERS) Mayor Mystake will not suddenly be revealed to be an Oni. She wasn't originally written as an Oni so just assume she's a regular Lego person. But she was originally written to say "Surrender? Never heard of it!" in defiance at Lord Garmadon while standing on top of Ninjago tower months before that episode of season 9 aired.

More on season 9, I normally don't like going back and editing previous chapters aside from fixing a few typos because it feels like I'm cheating on you, the reader, by retconning previously established events. But I make a small exception with a part in chapter 10 where a mech-less Lloyd faces against his father. (SPOILERS) I've rewritten it to have Garmadon try to crush Lloyd under the foot of his Shark mech to match a scene in season 9 where Garmadon uses the Oni Titan to try and crush Lloyd. I should have written it like this in the first place to up the urgency and give Lloyd's identity reveal more of an impact when he says "I'm your son! The one you almost killed today!"

* * *

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

Master Chicken flies up to a loft which serves as her roosting area in the Secret Ninja Warehouse. She looks around for her toolbox. Behind her is an open window. The Destiny's Bounty can be seen docked outside. We hear a clicking sound and Master Chicken's black eyes are replaced by icy blue ones. A beam of light shines from her eyes to scan the surrounding area, indicating she is either a robot like Zane or a cyborg. She finds the toolbox, picks it up and flies off screen but the camera remains focused on the window. We slowly push outward and the focus transitions to Lloyd and Master Wu climbing aboard the deck of the Destiny's Bounty to talk in private.

 **EXT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY - DAY**

As he speaks, Master Wu gestures with his staff.

 **"** Now what was it you wanted to tell me, Nephew?"

"Uncle Wu, what do you mean I can see into souls?"

"If I squint very hard, I can see your life force flowing within you."

Master Wu concentrates very hard to make his eyes flicker green for a split second. From his POV, we briefly see the golden aura inside Lloyd's chest, similar to the golden aura Garmadon could see in his new generals.

After his eyes fade back to normal, Master Wu appears to be breathing heavily.

"But you can see further than that, Lloyd. You can see the goodness or evil within a person, how he or she feels, or even see what that person is capable of. Your father had that power once, but instead he only used it to take advantage of people."

Lloyd looks away and mutters to himself.

"The evil within..." Lloyd looks up and speaks directly to Master Wu. "Uncle, I have a confession to make. Recently, when I look at myself in a mirror, I see my reflection but it looks... different."

"Yes, it's called puberty." Master Wu nods nonchalantly.

"No, no, I mean, my reflection. I think it's actually my soul that I've been seeing." Lloyd's face turns red as he verbally backpedals to correct himself.

"Ah, of course."

"But what I see is my old evil self, like back before you trained me to be a ninja, red eyes and everything."

"I was afraid this would happen. Lloyd, you were prophesied to defeat your father." Master Wu says as he puts his hand to his beard and strokes it as though deep in thought.

"I know that! That's just what I've been trying to do! I'm good now, right?" Lloyd sounds exasperated.

"But you were also prophesied to join him and conquer Ninjago together. That conflicting prophecy is trying to fulfill itself in you. That is what you see in the mirror." Master Wu then looks up at the cloudless sky and speaks solemnly. **"** We must all play out the parts destiny has written for us."

"But what about free will and agency?" Lloyd asks earnestly.

Master Wu turns back to Lloyd, his expression falling to a haunting sadness and hurt as if Lloyd had touched a very sensitive topic. He speaks harshly, startling Lloyd.

"Free will isn't something people like **us** are allowed to have!"

Master Wu looks at a tea pot and Lloyd sees his Uncle's reflection on it. Lloyd focuses on the reflection and squints. The reflection begins to change, as if silver ink were dripping from under his Uncle's hat, covering half of his face. A red eye glows from the metallic ink.

Master Wu then continues talking in a ranting tone, not realizing that Lloyd seems distracted.

"What is that school teaching you?!"

Taken aback, Lloyd shakes his head, clearing his mind and trying to ignore what he just saw in the tea pot and his Uncle's sudden change in demeanor.

"Nothing! Nothing! Sorry, Uncle."

"Good." Master Wu seems pleased with this answer.

With Master Wu in a more pleasant mood, Lloyd then tries to ease into the topic of revealing his secret identity with a hypothetical question.

"Actually, Uncle, there was something else I wanted to ask you about."

"What is it, Nephew?"

Lloyd speaks in a rambling manner so as not to provoke another angry response from his Uncle.

 **"** I was wondering, now that I'm sixteen, why can't we reveal our secret identities again? Just asking out of curiosity! I mean, it's not like we get paid by the government or anything. Or get paid... at all."

 **"** Think of it like a super dangerous unpaid internship. Builds experience! Great for resume in the future!"

"Yeah, okay, okay, but that doesn't really answer my question about secret identities, which we can't even put on our resumes unless it stops being a secret."

Master Wu sighs.

"None of you are even eighteen yet. As the supervising adult, I am technically accountable for all of you. If anything happened to you and someone found out, I might have to face… death!"

"Death?" Lloyd asks in shock.

 **"** Yes! Death by a Thousand Lawsuits!" Master Wu answers with complete sincerity.

Lloyd raises a questioning eyebrow at his over-dramatic Uncle.

"Lawsuits... right... Good to know you have our best interests at heart. But Uncle, can I at least tell my Mom?"

Master Wu sounds appalled by the suggestion.

 **"** Are you crazy? If Koko found out you were the Green Ninja, she would kick my butt, just by staring at me."

Master Wu leans over toward Lloyd and stares at him with wide open eyes to demonstrate.

In response, Lloyd takes the opportunity to maintain direct eye contact with Master Wu and look deep into his uncle's soul. Lloyd concentrates and his eyes briefly shine bright green.

From Lloyd's POV, we slam zoom into Master Wu's pupils and see a very angry-looking old man with a long, black beard and red eyes. Half of his face is made of metal and the other half is still yellow. Half of his body is covered in cybernetics but the other half is pure black. This is **SOUL WU.**

He wears a metallic silver hat and defensively wields a black staff with ominous red runes. Behind him are various cables and wires stretching out into a dark abyss.

"I have my reasons for all the many secrets I keep." Soul Wu darkly states.

Soul Wu spins around and strikes the staff in our direction and we slam zoom back out of Master Wu's pupils. Lloyd breaks eye contact and suddenly seems very unnerved.

"Why are you asking?" Master Wu continues acting as though nothing had happened.

"No... reason…" Lloyd looks away, suddenly reluctant to tell his uncle about his secret identity.

 **CUT TO: INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

Cole is practicing Spinjitzu. He accidentally spins towards the warehouse door and slams hard on it. Shakily, Cole grabs the door to steady himself and pulls it open just a little bit. But his curiosity is piqued and he peeks outside. With his super sensitive hearing, Cole can overhear what Master Wu is telling Lloyd.

"Lloyd, I understand the responsibility of protecting Ninjago requires much personal sacrifice." Master Wu begins.

 **CUT TO: EXT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY - DAY**

"But these are sacrifices that must be made to keep the balance and you must learn to accept these things on your own. I will not always be here to train you." Master Wu continues as he places a comforting hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"Why?" Lloyd asks.

"Because I'm super, super old."

"Oh."

"That's why I need you to lead the Secret Ninja Force." Master Wu tells Lloyd with much finality.

 **CUT TO: INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

We zoom in to a close up shot of a devastated Cole. His eyes widen in shock and despair. Tears well up in his eyes. His aspirations of leading the Secret Ninja Force are crushed.

Cole inhales and exhales, fighting back tears. He wipes them away as he regains composure.

"Show no pain, feel no emotion." He mutters to himself the mantra from Batman's photo.

Cole steels himself and continues training.

 **CUT TO: EXT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY - DAY**

"One day, I want you to be the leader." Master Wu says as he pokes Lloyd on the chest with his staff.

"Uncle..." Lloyd tries and fails to cut him off.

"But you must promise to walk a different path..."

 **CUT TO: INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

Cole picks up a training scythe but as he continues practicing, we still hear the voice of Master Wu speaking.

"...One that only a **son of Garmadon** can walk..." Master Wu continues in a voice over.

Cole takes the proper position before striking down a practice dummy. His face is shadowed and we can't see his eyes but his mouth is set in a grim line of determination.

"...No matter how hard it may be." Master Wu concludes.

Cole angrily slashes the dummy in half. The shot is framed in such a way that it is similar to when Garmadon used the Megaweapon to smash the wall of his volcano lair.

 **CUT TO: EXT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY - DAY**

Lloyd sighs and then speaks.

"Honestly, I would happily give up being a Secret Ninja if it meant I didn't have to be the son of Garmadon."

"Is that what you really want?" Master Wu asks.

"Or… I just wish my Dad wasn't evil. I wish Garmadon could just be a normal Dad."

"Lloyd, there is both good and evil within everyone." Master Wu tries to assure Lloyd.

"Everyone?"

"Yes, everyone." Master Wu pauses for a beat before continuing. "Well, except maybe Zane. He is pure good."

Master Wu strokes his beard, pondering, as we dissolve into another imagination spot.

 **DISSOLVE TO: EXT. IMAGINARY FOREST COTTAGE - DAY**

Zane stands in front of a charming little cottage by the woods. He is wearing a pink apron and a white flower crown, and is holding a tray of freshly baked cookies while surrounded by various woodland animals. He is the very epitome of over-the-top wholesomeness and purity. Behind him is a cloud of sparkles, as though we see him through a camera glamour filter. Birds chirp merrily in the background.

 **DISSOLVE TO: EXT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY - DAY**

We dissolve back to a rambling Master Wu.

"I normally don't approve of technology in general but for Zane, I can make an exception. If he were not so pure of heart, I might not have even considered him as a ninja."

"But... does that mean there is also evil in you, Uncle?" Lloyd nervously interrupts his Uncle from his musings.

Master Wu's face suddenly turns grave. Without warning, he strikes his staff against the deck floor as though it were a match. Lloyd jumps back in surprise. A Lego flame piece springs to life at the edge of the staff, which begins to blacken from "burning". As it burns, ominous red runes begin to appear on the staff.

"Come with me, Lloyd." Master Wu darkly states.

Suddenly intimidated, Lloyd doesn't say anything and just follows his Uncle's orders without question.

 **INT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY – DAY**

Master Wu and Lloyd enter the cabin of the Destiny's Bounty. Master Wu uses the flame on his staff to light small Lego "incense sticks" on an incense holder. Puffs of Lego plastic "smoke" emanate from the tips of the sticks.

Master Wu takes a handful of white powder from a jar labelled "Cloud Dust" and throws it at the burning incense sticks. After a brief flash of real flame, the previously Lego incense sticks inexplicably turn into actual tiny, burning, incense sticks emanating puffs of real non-Lego smoke.

"Woah!" Lloyd exclaims, fascinated by the matter transmutation.

But his Uncle's demeanor remains as stern as ever. Master Wu blows out the plastic flame on his staff.

"This is **Spirit Smoke.** It will show you what you need to know."

Master Wu gestures at the smoke coming from the incense sticks. Vague images flicker in and out of focus.

"It is time for a history lesson, Lloyd. At some point, every Realm tells its own version of this story, but when it comes to mine... let's just say my source is trustworthy..."

We fade in onto the smoke and transition to...

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. ANCIENT FIRST REALM - DAY**

The scene transitions to **LIVE ACTION MEDIUM** , in the style of a black and white, shadow puppet theater. Master Wu narrates the events of the flashback in a voice over.

"Long before time had a name, before Ninjago, there was a Realm of Oni and Dragons."

We see shadow puppets of dragons and humanoid creatures living side by side.

"The Dragons had a gift. They could harness the elements themselves to do incredible things. They were the **First Creators.** "

A dragon puppet spins around in flight and creates the silhouette of a tree in its wake.

"The Oni had a power as well. They could break through the very boundaries of reality to turn something back into its raw essence. They were the **First Destroyers.** "

An oni puppet jumps into view and punches the tree. The tree breaks apart and explodes into a shower of Lego bricks that fall all over the oni and dragon puppets.

"Their conflicting natures caused a thousand year war."

Several dragon puppets and several oni puppets are shown attacking each other in vicious combat. The dragons breathe out blasts of elemental energy from their mouths and the oni retaliate by slashing back at the dragons with their swords. Lego bricks and Lego studs are flung about in the background.

"As the First Realm was destroyed, it was decided that each race would bring forth a champion."

The dragon and oni puppets retreat from the battle. The chaos dies down.

"With their elemental powers, the Dragons created the **SACRED KOI.** "

Several dragon puppets gather around in a circle and breathe out their respective elements. A white light emanates from the center of the circle and radiates outward until the whole screen is filled with light. When the light recedes, the puppet of the Sacred Koi floats at the center of the circle.

"But the Oni lacked the power to create, only corrupt."

Three oni puppets stand together, plotting. One is purple, another is orange and the last one is red. With their long horns, they resemble the Oni masks from the wall murals in Garmadon's throne room.

"And so, three Oni warlords stole a Dragon hatchling and raised it as their own."

The three oni puppets loom over a small, baby dragon puppet and snatch it away. The frightened baby dragon struggles but it is defenseless against the oni.

"They bathed it in their all-consuming darkness and taught it only cruelty and malice until it was so filled with anger and destructive by nature that it had become more Oni than Dragon."

The three oni puppets appear to forcibly plunge the struggling baby dragon into a pit with dark, inky smoke coming out of it. The black smoke fills the entire screen.

"It called itself **THE OVERLORD**. A manifestation of darkness itself, the Overlord was a complete mockery of everything the Dragons stood for."

As the smoke recedes, a puppet of the much larger Overlord dragon emerges from the pit. Its vulnerable baby form is no more and is instead replaced by a terrifying adult form with red, glowing eyes and enormous black wings. The Overlord roars at the camera.

"The war left the First Realm, and the battle between the Overlord and the Sacred Koi began."

The Overlord and the Sacred Koi fight each other in a cosmic battle with flashes of light and darkness.

"As the two fought, many new Realms came into being."

Silhouettes of Lego sets from recognizable Lego themes (I.E. Pirates, Castle, Space, Vikings, Wild West, Atlantis, Bionicle, Chima, Nexo Knights, Lego City, Technic, etc.) rise and fall in the background.

"And the blood of the two champions gave birth to a new form of life altogether."

The Sacred Koi rises and blasts the Overlord with a beam of light. The Overlord is defeated and fades away. Lego studs of "blood" and sparks of light rain down across the screen.

"When creation and destruction joined with the elements, a new power was created."

The rain of black Lego studs and white sparks blend together to form a Yin and Yang symbol. At the center of the symbol emerges the silhouette of a man with the proportions of a Lego minifigure. He wears entirely black robes with a golden dragon emblazoned in the center of his torso. This puppet is the **FIRST SPINJITZU MASTER,** the Father of Wu and Garmadon.

"The power... **to write destiny.** "

Behind the First Spinjitzu Master, several other minifigure puppets appear. They are the **MASTER WRITERS** of the Cloud Kingdom.

"On the day the Overlord was vanquished, my father was born."

The First Spinjitzu Master spins a tornado of elemental energy and uses it to fly up into the Cloud Kingdom, leading the other Master Writers to do the same. The flashback ends as we fade back into the present.

 **PRESENT - INT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY – DAY**

We transition back to **STOP MOTION-ESQUE CGI ANIMATION.** Master Wu continues speaking to Lloyd.

"He was born of both Sacred Koi and Overlord, both Dragon and Oni, both good and evil. This is why my father became the First Spinjitzu Master and taught my brother and I the Art of Spinjitzu, so that we could learn to balance the good and evil within ourselves. And now, it is why I am teaching it to you and the other Ninja."

Lloyd seems deep in thought and is mentally processing this information.

"Hmmm, I... I see."

In an attempt to lighten up the mood, Lloyd tries to crack a joke.

"I'm guessing that didn't work out too well for my Dad though."

Master Wu remains solemn.

"What happened to Garmadon was... different. My brother did not always have a wicked heart."

"My Mom told me Garmadon used to be a normal guy before but how did he become the way he is? All four arms and black skin?"

Wu sighs deeply. He puts his hand on Lloyd's shoulder.

"There's a story I've never told you but now I think it's time I did."

* * *

 **A/N:** I'm sure Master Wu certainly didn't leave out anything important in the story. His source is trustworthy after all.

In case you haven't gotten it by now, Master Chicken is the equivalent of Zane's falcon in this story. The result is a giant Robot Chicken reference.

Soul Wu is Techno Wu.

Remember when Master Wu used Spirit Smoke to see visions back in season 1? I combined it with Mystake's origin story of the Realm of the Oni and the Dragon from season 8. I use a lot of puppet imagery because it ties in with the themes of "free will" and "control". I even tied in the Sacred Koi and the Overlord as light and dark equals. Remember the "long feeler tendrils" description of the Sacred Koi from the last chapter? Now you know why.

An alternate title for this chapter would have been "The Evil Within" but because Lloyd and Wu continue to not tell each other important information, the title was still fitting. There will be no part 3. Chapter titles will now continue their regular format.

There was originally a lot of #lore and #backstory I was going to throw in here but they distracted from the actual story. (Like how the Sacred Koi was dying from the battle and her blood pooled with the Overlord's blood to create the people of the Cloud Kingdom. But the dragons began to weep because they thought the Sacred Koi was going to die and their tears diluted the blood, creating the non-Cloud Kingdom people. These people took care of the Sacred Koi until she recovered which started the philosophy of "Protecting those who cannot protect themselves". )

Because I didn't want the chapter to be too bloated with exposition, I also deleted the Creation Spark subplot that was a reference to the Clutch Powers movie. Those sparks of light after the battle were originally supposed to be Creation Sparks.  
They are what give life to Lego people, essentially their souls. Without them, the Lego people are just inanimate objects. This is also where the Ninja's elemental powers come from. They used to belong to the Sacred Koi and then were passed on to the Lego people, because "power is never truly lost, only given away."

Announcement: I will also be writing not one but TWO prequels for Project Rebuild. **"All the Little Pieces"** will be set before any of characters become ninja and **"Sum of their Parts"** will be set after becoming ninja/being recruited by Wu.

Another announcement: We're almost at the one year anniversary mark of the Lego Ninjago movie. To celebrate this occasion, I will be doing the most ambitious Lego thing I've ever done before. I'll be turning Project Rebuild into a **BRICK COMIC**. Follow me at **NinjagoProjectRebuild** on Facebook and **NinjagoRebuild** on Twitter for more updates.

* * *

 **Replies:**

 **Bookkeeper2004:** That's what I was aiming for! I'll even be remaking it in brick comic form.

 **GOGOJo:** I bet the Ninja would still be the best of friends. Sorry for the delay in prequel oneshots, but if it makes it any better, I plan to make not one but 2 series of prequel oneshots. Stay tuned!

 **ShyChick:** Demic the dead dragon will be featured in the next chapter which is a big flashback when he was still alive. Meanwhile,this chapter has a lot more of looking into souls.

 **Boomer-Range:** I said before that their rivalry stems from the fact that Master Wu is definitively anti-Mech while Master Chicken is definitely pro-Mech but perhaps there is more to it than meets the eye. I also wonder if it has anything to do with Master Wu's disdain for technology in general.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** All the gifts the Ninja give Lloyd are deliberate choices that will come back in the story later on. Will they be given a new tragic context perhaps? Except for Zane's gift of a substitute Dad. That just never works. As for General Fang's scar, yes, go ahead and remember that hypnotized Cole from season 1. You are getting **very** close.


	15. Playthings of Destiny

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE AND HAPPY 8TH YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE NINJAGO SHOW! Project Rebuild is not dead. I am just an abysmally slow writer. This was a particularly difficult chapter to write and I'm sorry it took so long. I've also had to deal with real life stuff. If you're still sticking around for this story, THANK YOU! I will see this through to the end. I hope you don't give up on Project Rebuild. I don't want to give up on myself. This is also going to be the last flashback for some time. Chapter 16: Disconnected will resume the plot proper. I'll try to have it out by the time season 10 is released.

Also, I'd suggest re-reading Koko's flashback from Chapters 4 and 6 to refresh your memory. It'll be plot-relevant.

* * *

 **Chapter 15:** Playthings of Destiny

 **INT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY – DAY**

Inside the Bounty's cabin is a bed. This is Master Wu's bed. It is made of a soft foam-like material, in stark contrast with the rigid plastic of the rest of the Destiny's Bounty.

Master Wu motions for Lloyd to take a seat on his bed before sitting down on it himself. He strokes his beard in deep thought. This will be a difficult tale to tell. Master Wu begins hesitantly.

 **"** Lloyd, we are not... **like.**.. other people. You come from a line of Firsts. My father was the First Spinjitzu Master. Garmadon and I were the first children created in the Cloud Kingdom. You were the first child born of Cloud Kingdom heritage."

 **"** Wait! I'm... I'm sorry. What did you just say?" Lloyd suddenly interrupts his uncle as he tries to take in this information.

 **"** You were the first child born of Cloud Kingdom heritage."

 **"** No, no, no, no. Before that! The thing right before that!"

 **"** What? Garmadon and I were the first children created in the Cloud Kingdom?"

 **"** You mean, you and Dad weren't... born? Didn't you have a mom?"

"For Garmadon? Perhaps. For myself? Not... exactly."

"My father made Garmadon and I out of his own life force." Master Wu raises his hand as though to demonstrate something. Sparks of Golden Power appear and hover above his open palm.

The sparks come together and form a glowing tea leaf.

"I was created by blending his life force with that of a wise, old tea maker from the land of China."

Lloyd makes a brief "Why am I not surprised?" look. The sparks then morph and turn into the glowing symbol of a dragon. The way it is positioned, it resembles the lighter Yang side of the Yin and Yang symbol.

 **"** Garmadon was created when my father mixed his life force with that of a fierce General from the Dragonlands."

The camera pushes in on the glowing dragon symbol as we transition to...

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. CLOUD KINGDOM – DAY**

The dragon symbol flash dissolves into a shot of an actual dragon soaring among the clouds. A large flock of brick-built dragons flies by slowly in the background. Some brick-built clouds move out of the way, revealing a majestic floating city with white, ivory towers. This is the **CLOUD KINGDOM**. Enchanting shamisen music can be heard in the background.

A sign can be seen that reads " **Cloud Kingdom, the Realm of Smoke and Mirrors.** " Beneath it is another sign that reads " **Free Will is an illusion**."Nearly everything in the Cloud Kingdom is made of Lego, except for the said smoke and mirrors. The entire Realm is designed to look too flawless, a little too perfect, too good to be true. All the Cloud Kingdom citizens have a self-righteous and superior air about them. They all feel "above it all".

 _ **"** Garmadon and I were made to be brothers."_ Master Wu continues narrating some of the flashback's events in a voice over. But most of it is spoken dialogue by the actual characters.

A red, black and golden dragon flies into our view. Its head resembles the double dragon heads found on the front of the Destiny's Bounty. This is **DEMIC.**

We follow Demic as he flies down to a sky stable where two teenaged boys are waiting. These are **TEEN GARMADON** and **TEEN** **WU**. Teen Garmadon has his black hair tied up in a man bun, using the Lego hair piece identical to Cole's hair piece. He still looks very much like Cole with the exception of his bright green eyes. Teen Wu has a similar hair piece, with his hair also tied up in a man bun but with a gold band.

 _ **"** But more than that, we were the best of friends."_

Both Garmadon and Wu are smiling, indicating their more carefree attitude. Wu is carrying a tray with a teapot and tea cups. Garmadon approaches Demic with a box of treats.

 **"** Liver and toads, Demic! Your favorite!" Garmadon calls out.

Garmadon throws a toad at Demic, who hungrily devours it and dives right into the box of treats. Once the box is empty, Demic proceeds to lick Garmadon all over his face, leaving behind a trail of molten lava

slobber. Garmadon only laughs, showing that the molten lava does not harm him.

Wu can't help but join in the laughter. He offers Garmadon a steaming cup of tea. Garmadon wipes the lava off of him and graciously accepts the cup. He sniffs the intoxicating aroma and takes a sip.

 **"** Mmmm! Black tea! Just how I like it!"

Wu then offers the rest of the tea pot to Demic. The dragon wastes no time devouring the tea pot, tray and all. Demic then lets out a satisfying belch, causing both brothers to break out into another fit of laughter. It is a scene of such pure innocence.

Multiple dragons fly overhead and Demic roars at them, shattering the blissful moment. It is time to go.

Garmadon's happy expression drops and is replaced by worry and sadness. He rushes toward Demic and embraces him. Both boy and dragon gently rub their heads together in a final farewell.

 **"** I'm gonna miss you, buddy!" Garmadon whispers softly and shows his more vulnerable side.

Demic breaks away from the embrace and looks at Garmadon. They make eye contact for a beat. An unspoken bond between dragon and rider passes through them. Garmadon nods in understanding. Demic will return one day. After a final bow, Demic takes flight and joins the other dragons.

Garmadon watches the dragons solemnly but he is not alone. Wu places a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I wish the dragons didn't have to go away." Garmadon says.

 **"** They need to return to the Dragonlands to molt. It is a natural part of their growth cycle. It is simply the way things are." Wu replies.

 **"** If I had my way, I'd make it so that the dragons would never have to leave." A sudden bitterness creeps into Garmadon's voice.

 **"** What we want is irrelevant. What must happen will happen. We are merely the **Playthings of Destiny,** guided by the **Hands of Fate."** Teen Wu speaks in a know-it-all tone, as though repeating something that's been drilled into him before.

 **"** Let me guess? It is simply "the way things are." Garmadon replies in a playfully mocking tone.

 **"** Precisely."

"Ugh! You're starting to sound just like Father."

 **"** At least one of us does. Besides, you should know better than to question the Natural Order of things. We do as we're told. Then we invoke prophecies and those beneath us do as they're told." Teen Wu gestures at the Realms below. The camera follows his movement but we only see a vast abyss beneath the clouds.

"But is it so wrong, brother? Is it so wrong to want more out of life than endless rules and invocations?"

 **"** Well, it is against the rules. So... yes, it is very wrong." Wu replies cheekily.

"Well, that's no fun."

 **"** I'm sure there are other ways to have fun, even without dragons." Wu suddenly breaks character from his rule-abiding purist persona and lets slip a mischievous smile.

Garmadon rolls his eyes. He does this exactly the way Cole does it.

 **"** Like what?"

 **"** Like maybe swordfighting?"

Without warning, Wu pulls a black katana from behind him and brandishes it at his big brother. Garmadon sees the katana and knows it is his. He doesn't even bat an eye as he again adopts a playfully mocking tone.

"Oh but aren't we supposed to "let go of all distractions" and "strive for greater understanding"?"

While speaking, Garmadon very calmly moves towards his little brother. With one hand, he swiftly grabs hold of the katana's hilt and with the other hand, he shoves his little brother away. The older brother expertly disarms the younger one and Wu is left stumbling on the cloud pavement. Garmadon expertly twirls his katana.

 **"** I'm pretty sure swordfighting counts as a distraction."

Wu jumps back and recovers. He takes a tassel piece from a nearby lamp and pulls another blade out of nowhere. He attaches both pieces together and they form what looks like Lloyd's signature broadsword.

 **"** I won't tell if you won't. It'll be our little secret." Wu says as he takes a defensive stance.

 **"** Oh, it's on, brother."

Upbeat, action packed music with gongs starts playing. The two brothers engage in a playful sparring match. But their movements are reminiscent of the fight at the mountain top of their much older versions. It plays out as an innocent version of darker events that would inevitably occur.

With every strike, there is a block and parry. With every lunge, there is a twist and dodge. This continues until Wu decides to experiment on a new move. He whirls around and spins in place until he successfully creates a Spinjitzu tornado. Garmadon tries to block with his katana but this only results in the sword being forcefully knocked out of his hands. Wu suddenly stops spinning and the two brothers pause for a beat as they watch the katana fly off the edge of the cloud terrace, into the abyss below. Garmadon has a look of disbelief on his face. Wu looks apologetic.

Now weaponless, Garmadon runs away. Wu chases after him, thinking his brother is about to snitch on him for losing his katana.

 **"** Wait! Don't tell Father! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Young Wu stops short when he sees his brother return instead, now armed with a brown staff.

 **"** Hey! That's my favorite staff!" Wu cries out.

 **"** And **that** was my favorite katana!"

To punctuate his words, Garmadon slams the notched end of the staff into the stud hole of a nearby gray Lego brick and swings the whole thing at a few other gray pieces, attaching them to the whole weapon and forming a warhammer. The pieces form what looks like the Megaweapon prototype.

Garmadon lets out a raging war cry as he slams the warhammer in his brother's direction.

 **"** AAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!"

 **"** Who told you that you could bring a hammer to a sword fight?" Wu jumps out of the way in the nick of time and chides his brother in a teasing manner.

Wu slashes away with his broadsword. Garmadon deflects the blows with his warhammer

 **"** Father taught us to be resourceful, didn't he?" Garmadon replies.

Gamadon swings his hammer at his brother. Wu jumps out of the way but is forced to retreat. His older brother keeps swinging the warhammer relentlessly until he succeeds in boxing Wu dangerously near the edge of the cloud terrace.

"Brother! Stop!" Wu cries out, suddenly aware of the danger he's in.

But Garmadon keeps striking and pays no attention to his brother's pleas. He is too caught up with thrill of the fight to notice their precarious situation.

 **"** Wait! No!"

Wu tries desperately to stop his brother but Garmadon only seizes the opportunity to sweep the warhammer at his opponent's feet. Wu's legs catch the blow and he is knocked onto his back.

"Gotcha!"

Garmadon is so engrossed in the fight that he proceeds to strike the finishing blow while his brother is down. Wu deftly dodges back causing his brother to slam the warhammer at full strength down at the cloud they are standing on.

 **"STOP!"** Wu shouts.

Perhaps due to inexperience, Garmadon underestimates how unnaturally strong he is.

 **BAM!**

Garmadon finally listens after hearing his brother shout. He is panting as he grips the warhammer still in its impact spot. At first nothing happens, but then the force of the impact causes cracks to form on the cloud foundations below them.

The Lego bricks holding the cloud terrace together begin to break asunder. Panicking now, Wu and Garmadon scramble to get to stable ground. But the cloud terrace below Wu comes apart.

Garmadon turns back and, with his bright green eyes, glimpses the terrified face of Wu as he falls back in slow motion. With the chillingly haunting background music playing, all other noises fade away. For a few brief moments, it looks as though Wu is actually going to fall into the abyss.

But suddenly...

 **"** Gotcha!" Garmadon echoes his previous remark as he catches Wu's foot with an outstretched arm. "I've got you, brother!"

Garmadon hoists both of them up and they both collapse, panting, onto what they both think is stable ground. Thinking they are safe, they share a smile with each other. But their victory is short-lived when the rest of the cloud terrace breaks apart.

Both brothers scream in terror as they plunge into the depths below. The camera follows them as they fall. The sight of the abyss gives way as we see a clearer view of what actually exists below the Cloud Kingdom: a vast ocean of non-Lego water.

As Wu and Garmadon fall closer to the ocean, we see that there are shark fins jutting out of the surface and circling the water. The brothers hit the water flailing and screaming and the camera follows their descent through a rush of bubbles. Suspenseful music starts playing.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. OCEAN – DAY**

The water breaks their fall as Wu and Garmadon behold the chaotic scene unfolding before them. Several brick-built sharks are terrorizing a school of fish. The sharks resemble more organic versions of Garmadon's Shark Mech in the future, minus the legs. The brick-built fish flee in terror to avoid the chomping jaws of the sharks.

Holding his breath and acting quickly, Wu struggles to avoid the sharks. But Garmadon floats motionlessly, his bright green eyes watching everything intently. He is completely mesmerized by the scene before him. Wu tries pulling his brother up to the surface but Garmadon makes no attempt to move.

From Garmadon's POV, he sees the life force of the sharks and the fish around him. He sees the triumph of a shark who successfully manages to bite down on a fish. He sees the primal fear of the fish trying desperately to escape. Engrossed, Garmadon cannot look away. He does not even realize he is losing precious oxygen.

Suddenly a white light bursts through the chaos, momentarily stunning everyone in place. When the light recedes, everyone turns toward its source. It is the Sacred Koi.

The Sacred Koi expertly darts here and there, herding the fish to safety. She does not engage with the sharks directly, instead preferring to use trickery and deception to confuse them.

The sharks turn their attention to the Sacred Koi and leave the fish alone. Snarling, they swim after her and attack but she is too fast for their powerful but lumbering brick-built bodies. She is there one moment and gone the next.

Both Wu and Garmadon are amazed by the Sacred Koi's skill and her ability to **fight without fighting**. She instead serves as a distraction to tire out her enemies. Once the sharks think they have cornered her, she disappears and reappears somewhere else.

 _ **"** When I witnessed the Sacred Koi trying to save her people, I saw her kindness and compassion. But later on, I found out that Garmadon only saw strength and power."_ Master Wu narrates in a voice over.

The camera slowly pushes in on Garmadon's bright green eyes taking everything in. Suddenly, the camera stops as Garmadon chokes out air bubbles. Without oxygen, he is drowning. He and Wu might have quasi-godlike powers but they are not immortal.

Wu notices his brother's panicked flailing and tries pulling him up to the surface. But it is in vain. Wu chokes out air bubbles too. Both Wu and Garmadon pass out from lack of oxygen and sink to the bottom of the ocean.

We then fade to black.

 **CUT TO: FLASHBACK – EXT. BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN – DAY**

We slowly fade in.

Just like in the previous flashback scene with Koko, the scene transitions to LIVE ACTION MEDIUM. Teen Wu and Teen Garmadon are no longer plastic Lego minifigures. They are both large scale, wooden Bunraku-style puppets inside a large transparent dome bubble. The difference is that this time, the puppeteers are visible behind the puppets. They are teenagers wearing "classic" black ninja theater stagehand outfits, with the only difference being the color of the band they wear on their heads.

Wu is the first to wake up. But Garmadon is still unconscious. The Teen Wu puppet is being controlled by two teenagers wearing a red and blue band each, representing Kai and Jay. The glowing puppet of the Sacred Koi enters the dome bubble and appears before Wu. Her puppet is being controlled by two teenagers wearing white and silver bands on their heads, representing Zane and Nya. We finally hear the Sacred Koi speak in her true voice.

"Greetings, Child of the Cloud Kingdom. I am the Sacred Koi of Ninjago, and I am a Friend to all."

 **"** The Sacred Koi of legend! Oh I've heard about you. You vanquished the Overlord! Thank you for saving me, but where is my brother?"

Wu looks around worriedly for Garmadon but the Sacred Koi motions to where Garmadon lies unconscious.

"Don't worry. Your brother is safe."

Wu rushes over to Garmadon and tries to rouse him.

 **"** Wake up, brother."

Garmadon slowly awakens. His puppet is being controlled by two teenagers wearing green and black head bands, representing Lloyd and Cole, respectively. Garmadon is dazed at first but when he sees Wu, he immediately starts gushing over the sharks he saw, much to the awkwardness of Wu and the Sacred Koi.

 **"** Brother! Did you see those sharks? They were incredible! Such power! Such ferocity! Oh and how the fish just cowered in their presence! It was exhilarating! I've never felt so ali..."

Wu interrupts his brother with a cough.

 **"** Ahem!"

"Huh? What?"

Wu whispers and motions to the Sacred Koi floating right behind him.

 **"** It's the Sacred Koi."

Embarrassed, Garmadon tries to salvage the Sacred Koi's first impression of him.

 **"** Right! You were amazing too, Sacred Koi! How did you do that trick where you were there one moment and gone the next?

Wu facepalms and tries to cover for his brother.

 **"** I apologize for my brother. What he meant to say was "thank you" and "how can we ever repay your kindness?" I am Wu and this is my brother, Garmadon."

 **"** It is the **Way of the Ninja** and there is no repayment necessary. However, there is something you can do for me." The Sacred Koi says.

 **"** What is it, Sacred Koi?" Wu asks.

 **"** I want to show you something. But first, I believe these are yours." The Sacred Koi shows them their fallen weapons: the black katana, the warhammer, and the broadsword. Wu and Garmadon gleefully rush towards them.

 **"** My favorite katana!" Garmadon exclaims.

 **"** Thank you, Sacred Koi! Thank you!" Wu says.

The sound of their dialogue becomes muted as bubbles rise from the bottom of the screen and we transition to...

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. OCEAN OVERLOOKING NINJAGO ISLAND – DAY**

We transition back to **STOP MOTION-ESQUE CGI ANIMATION.** The Sacred Koi brings Wu and Garmadon to the surface of the water and they see Ninjago Island in the distance. They return to their plastic minifig selves, while the Sacred Koi turns into a brick-built fish with light bricks along the spine. Garmadon has the warhammer clipped onto his back while Wu has his swords sheathed in a scabbard in his back.

 **"** You are children of the Cloud Kingdom. You invoke prophecies but have you ever considered the people affected by your prophecies?" The Sacred Koi asks.

Wu and Garmadon look at each other in a wordless exchange. When neither of them reply, the Sacred Koi continues speaking.

"The Realm you see here is the Island of Ninjago. Her people are naturally peaceful and I am a friend to all her people. But this time of peace will not last forever. I sense a Dark Presence will one day threaten Ninjago." The Sacred Koi continues.

 **"** A Dark Presence? You don't say?" Garmadon speaks in a lowered voice. He sounds almost intrigued, rather than concerned.

"I defeated the Overlord once, but evil never truly dies. It simply changes its form and I am afraid I will not be able to fight him again, should he return. My elemental powers have long since left me, but I believe that just as evil never dies, so is true power never really lost. It is only ever given away."

As the Sacred Koi speaks, we go to a few quick shots of random people in the small village on the island, implying that these might be the new worthy vessels of the elemental powers.

"But I sense both of you have a Warrior's Spirit. I want both of you to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Will you do this for me?"

"Yes, of course." Wu replies.

 **"** That's a solid maybe." Garmadon quips.

 **"** You must do this, not to seek personal glory, but to right the wrongs of the Realm. You must do this even if no one else knows of your deeds. Will you swear the solemn oath?" asks the Sacred Koi.

Wu answers right away but Garmadon hesitates.

 **"** I promise no one will ever know."

 **"** Uhhhhh..."

Wu punches Garmadon's arm. **"** AH! I swear the solemn oath to protect those who cannot protect themselves!" Garmadon pledges reluctantly.

 **"** I swear the solemn oath to protect those who cannot protect themselves." Wu earnestly pledges afterwards.

The Sacred Koi smiles in acknowledgement.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO ISLAND SHORE – DAY**

The Sacred Koi brings Wu and Garmadon to the shores of Ninjago where they decide to explore the island. They wave goodbye to the Sacred Koi as she descends back into the water. Garmadon and Wu begin walking away from the ocean but then they notice the non-Lego soil they are walking on. It is strange and new to them. Garmadon trips and falls onto the ground.

 **"** Ooof!"

Wu laughs at his brother, but Garmadon is not upset. Instead, he is intrigued by the soil. He scoops up some of it with his Lego hands and lets it fall back into the ground.

 **"** What is this fascinating material?" Garmadon asks, fascinated.

"I believe the First Creators called it "earth"." Wu replies matter-of-factly.

"Earth. Wow! I like it! It doesn't feel plasticky at all!" Garmadon exclaims.

Wu and Garmadon see a sign. It reads "Ninjago: The Realm of Natural Elements". Beneath it is the national emblem of Ninjago, a brick with six dots. They look beyond the sign and see the wondrous splendor of Ninjago. Lush forests, clear waterfalls, and tall mountains.

The chorus of "I Wanna Go Out" by American Authors begins playing in the background as we go into a montage sequence of Wu and Garmadon exploring Ninjago and visiting the same places young Koko would explore years later.

[SONG: I Wanna Go Out by American Authors]

[Let's get wild and make a memory]  
Wu and Garmadon both have massive grins on their faces as they take in the beauty of Ninjago.

[Hey ya, I wanna go out]  
Wu and Garmadon excitedly run towards the tall trees and look up at them. The sunlight flashes a bright lens flare.

[I wanna go out, I wanna-na]  
When the lens flare recedes, we see Garmadon poke his head out of the top of the trees and gasping in wonder. Wu can be seen smiling and climbing a tall coconut tree behind him.

[Hey ya, I wanna go out]  
We quickly pan upwards to the mountains. Wu and Garmadon can be seen climbing them.

[Out of my mind]  
We then see Wu and Garmadon jumping on rock pillars across a mist-covered gorge.

[Hey ya, I wanna check out]  
Wu and Garmadon are about to enter a dark cave. It looks very similar to the one young Koko would explore years later. Wu enters while holding a lit non-Lego matchstick.

[Step off of my cloud]  
Garmadon takes one last glimpse at the Cloud Kingdom above him. He then rolls his eyes in a "well, screw that" kind of fashion and enters the cave.

[Hey ya, I wanna go out]  
Wu turns to Garmadon and notices that there is a large black spider on his brother's back. Wu panics accordingly.

[Out of my mind]  
Garmadon turns around and the spider crawls onto his arm. Garmadon is not the least bit alarmed. He gently pets the spider while smiling.

While the instrumental part of the song is playing, we see Wu and Garmadon making their way through dense jungle foliage, crossing a log over a river, and running through field of both Lego and non-Lego flowers. We then go to a few quick shots of Garmadon trying to chase after various forest animals, such as deer and rabbits. This is followed by a few quick shots of Wu and Garmadon being chased by various predatory animals, such as bears, crocodiles, and tigers.

[Indecisive, so fragile, so mad]  
Garmadon drops to the ground and starts making a soil angel.

[Idiotic, insane]  
Wu facepalms.

[Out of my mind, out of my mind]  
Wu leads as he slashes a clear path for the two of them using his broadsword.

[So enlightened, but frightened and scared]  
Wu cuts open a path to a bamboo grove, but his facial expression is suddenly with overcome with great fear, as though he has seen this bamboo grove before.

[So hypnotic and dazed]  
Garmadon follows close behind, but he doesn't notice his brother's change in expression. He himself is too distracted by a butterfly.

[Out of my mind]  
Garmadon sees the bamboo grove and is enraptured by it. He is still blissfully unaware of Wu's alarmed face.

[Out of my mind]  
Wu fakes a smile and motions towards the bamboo grove, urging Garmadon to go explore it.

[I wanna, I wanna feel,]  
Garmadon runs toward the bamboo grove.

[Like something is changing]  
Wu's smile fades, almost like he knows nothing will ever be the same again.

[Coz some things need changing]  
Garmadon sees a small green snake and tries to pet it.

The music abruptly cuts off as we...

 **HARD CUT TO BLACK.**

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. AREA NEAR BAMBOO GROVE – DAY**

Wu is busy admiring the same butterfly Garmadon was chasing previously. His musings are suddenly interrupted by Garmadon's sudden scream.

Wu instinctively runs over to where Garmadon is lying on the ground. He draws his broadsword and makes a move to attack the green snake.

 **"** Get away from my brother, you fiend!" Wu shouts.

The green snake retreats from Wu's presence. Garmadon starts shivering violently while clutching his right arm. A darkness starts creeping up the arm like a black frost. Wu gets down on his knees and checks up on Garmadon.

 **"** Wu, I don't... I don't feel so good." Garmadon whimpers feebly.

Wu has a look of "My God! What have I done?" he is filled with instant regret. This is something Wu did not think through completely. He is paralyzed by fear.

 **"** No! No! No!" Wu panics.

Garmadon starts crying. Tears fall from his anguished face. He calls out by instinct.

 **"Mama!"**

 **"** It's going to be alright, brother. Everything is going to be fine." Teen Wu assures his brother.

 **"** It was the first lie I ever told." Master Wu narrates in a voice over.

Teen Wu finds a flat Lego brick buried beneath the sand and slides it underneath Garmadon. He lifts one side and uses it to drag Garmadon back into the ocean.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO ISLAND SHORE – DAY**

Wu shouts out into the ocean for help, but receives no reply.

 **"** Sacred Koi! Please help! We need you! Please, Sacred Koi, I..."

Wu can't finish the sentence. Anger wells up within him. He collapses to his knees on the sand and starts crying.

Solemn flute music starts playing in the background. It is Wu's theme.

Wu steels himself and wipes the tears from his face. He looks up at the Cloud Kingdom in the sky. He knows he must get up there if there is any chance to save his brother. Wu inhales and exhales deeply.

The first 54 seconds of the "Lloyd's Flashbacks/Banishing Garmadon" soundtrack from the season 4 Ninjago finale begins playing in the background.

[SONG: Lloyd's Flashbacks/Banishing Garmadon]

Wu goes into stance and performs slow and calculated martial arts movements. They are the same movements an older Master Wu would exhibit in front of his students in the future. Golden Power trails behind him as he moves and lifts Lego bricks out of the sand and other surroundings.

As the music reached the 0:54 mark, Wu finishes master building a helicopter. He places Garmadon's twitching body inside the helicopter and uses it to ride all the way back up to the Cloud Kingdom.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. CLOUD KINGDOM – DAY**

We see the First Spinjitzu Master from behind as he is having tea with another person who may or may not be a wise old tea maker. This character has a very old and basic "Classic Lego Minifigure" design. Their tea-drinking is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a loud crash.

The First Spinjitzu Master and his guest look to the source of the noise. They see Wu clambering out of a brick-built helicopter, carrying Garmadon's body.

 **"** Papa!" Wu cries out.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. NINJAGO ISLAND – NIGHT**

We go to a brief shot of the green snake that bit Garmadon. It is made up of a single Lego piece.

 _ **"** The truth was that my brother had been bitten by a legendary snake, the **GREAT DEVOURER** , which would grow forever as long as it consumed." _Master Wu narrates in a voice over.

The Great Devourer "eats" several nearby Lego pieces, incorporating it into its body. After eating, it is now the size of a small Lego polybag mini-build.

 **FLASHBACK – INT. GARMADON'S BEDROOM – NIGHT**

Teen Wu stands just outside of Garmadon's bedroom as the First Spinjitzu Master tends to his ill son. He hesitantly peeks inside the open door.

"A great evil had found its way into my brother's heart, for the snake's venom could turn the purest of things wicked." Master Wu continues narrating in a voice over.

Only the back of the First Spinjitsu Master is seen as he takes care of Garmadon. Waves of heat can be seen emanating from Garmadon's body, signifying his unnaturally intense fever. The First Spinjitzu Master dips a piece of cloth in cold water and dabs it on Garmadon's body, trying to cool him down. Garmadon resists.

 **"** Leave it! Leave me alone! I don't need you! I hate you!"

Garmadon tosses back and forth as though getting shocked by a high voltage. His screams of pain pierce through the air and he convulses violently as the Great Devourer's venom forces itself across his body. We hear unnerving sounds of plastic warping and creaking as Garmadon undergoes a horrific transformation.

"Aaaahhhh! It hurts!" Garmadon screams in pain.

Garmadon is fighting the corruption, but he is losing. The blackness spreads across his body. It reaches his head and Garmadon closes his green eyes one last time as the blackness covers his face.

We suddenly go to Wu watching by the door, listening to Garmadon's pained screams. We don't see what happens to Garmadon, but we see Wu's horrified reaction. We also hear the sounds of plastic cracking painfully. Wu covers his mouth in shock.

When we see Garmadon again, he has sprouted a second set of arms. His eyes are still closed, but he begins crying. Tears seep out of his closed eyes, but this time, instead of normal tears, Garmadon sheds tears of liquid fire. He opens his eyes and they now burn a **bright red.** He makes eye contact with Wu, who cowers behind the door frame.

As Garmadon shouts at his brother, his voice deepens demonically.

 **"THIS IS ALL WU'S FAULT!"**

Wu is terrified to the core of his being. He runs away, frightened out of his wits by what he has witnessed.

 **FLASHBACK – EXT. FORSNAKEN ISLAND – DAY**

We then go to a shot of a new Island where Wu and some other people manage to trap a much larger Great Devourer. It has incorporated many more parts into its body. Wu, himself, already has a mustache on his face, showing that some amount of time has passed.

"As for the Great Devourer, I led a team of the bravest Cloud Kingdom citizens to track her down and imprison her on the **FORSNAKEN ISLAND** , where she remains to this very day." Master Wu ends his narration.

We zoom away from the Forsnaken Island. From the top view, looking down, we can see that the island resembles a large, upside-down, black dragon. The way it is positioned, it resembles the darker Yin side of the Yin and Yang symbol. The flashback ends.

 **PRESENT - INT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY – DAY**

We then flash dissolve to an ancient map of the Forsnaken Island, shaped like an upturned black dragon. It has "Forsnaken Island" written on it. As we pull away from the Forsnaken Island, we see the other coastal Island Realms, including the Ninjago Island Realm, the Gotham Island Realm, and the Chima Island Realm on the map.

The map is located near the window on the wall of the Destiny's Bounty. Master Wu motions to it as Lloyd looks on. Lloyd seems to be in deep thought, then suddenly an idea dawns on him.

 **"** Wait, Uncle. So what you're saying is my Dad became evil because he was bitten by this evil snake..." Lloyd begins.

 **"** Correct." Master Wu answers.

 **"** Then why don't we just get some of the Great Devourer's venom, create an anti-venom and give it to my dad so he won't be evil anymore?"

Master Wu's sudden outburst of anger comes out of nowhere.

"NO! ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE QUESTION!"

Master Wu slams his staff on the ground to punctuate his answer.

 **"** But... ?" Lloyd weakly tries to defend his argument.

 **"** No! It is too dangerous. Not worth the risk! If the Great Devourer escapes her prison, all of Ninjago would be in grave danger! She will devour everything in her path. And she would not stop with Ninjago. The Other Realms would also be in peril."

 **"** But Garmadon is only acting this way because of the venom. If we can just cure him, I know he can be good again."

 **"** Lloyd…"

 **"** But Uncle, my Dad is working on something... something big. He called it a Megaweapon."

"GASP! How did you know about that?" Master Wu is suddenly alarmed.

 **"** He tried to give me a torture chamber for my birthday today. It was full of Megaweapon prototypes."

 **"** Ah, that's good, Lloyd. Happy Birthday indeed! Now, where is it?"

 **"** I said no."

 **"** GASP! You didn't accept his gift?"

 **"** Wasn't it the right thing to do?"

"No! It was the wrong thing to do. We could have learned something about the Megaweapon by inspecting the prototypes."

"Well, it's too late now. He's not going to give me the torture chamber." Lloyd whispers to himself. "He knows who I am now."

 **"** What was that?" Master Wu asks.

Lloyd snaps to attention. "Oh, uhhhhh... I said "He... knows who I am now?"... that I'm not the son he wanted… anymore."

 **"** Oh. We'll figure this out, Lloyd."

"But I've already figured it out, Uncle! We just need to get the Great Devourer anti-venom to my Dad."

"You might not find what you are looking for."

 **"** What do you mean?"

"He is my brother so it is difficult for me to say this. But what if the venom didn't turn him evil? What if it just brought out the evil that was already within him?"

 **"** What is it you said earlier? A student fails. A master never quits. Well, I'm not quitting and I'm not giving up on my Dad."

"Lloyd, you are so noble. Even when the world is against you, you still fight for what you believe is right. That is a good quality. But I am old and I have seen many good people fail, even with the best of intentions. Sometimes, you won't be able to save everyone."

"Why are you telling me this, Uncle?"

"Because sometimes, you can only save those who want to be saved."

* * *

Okay, I need to address a potentially controversial decision. First of all, Wu and Garmadon are half-brothers. Well, if you have a better explanation for how Jackie Chan and Justin Thereaux can be full blood brothers, then by all means, do tell. Second of all, if you read between the lines, Master Wu might not have a mother. This could imply a possibly bi-romantic FSM. I'll leave it open to interpretation but I imagine the wise old tea maker to look like one of those old-timey Lego minifigs that have the same face for both male and female characters.  
If you haven't done it already, I'd suggest re-reading Koko's flashback from Chapters 4 and 6. If you noticed the large discrepancy between the flashbacks, then congratulations! You're more perceptive than Lloyd. For reference, Koko's flashback takes place years after Garmadon's corruption.

The origins of Garmadon's Shark Army, volcano aesthetic, black katana, and Megaweapon design are implied from this chapter, as is Lloyd's broadsword.

I know fighting without fighting is the "Art of the Silent Fist" but I wanted to explain how both Garmadon and Wu first found out about the Ninja arts.

Demic is pretty much Rocky. He fulfils the same role.

The fight between Teen Wu and Teen garmadon is supposed to look like a combination of their fight at the top of the mountain in Chapter 1 and Lloyd and Cole's sparring match in season 8, episode 2: The Jade Princess.

This is the only chapter that directly implies whose imagination the entirety of Project Rebuild comes from. I know I previously said it was just 1 kid, but there are 6 ninja. I find 6 kids more believable. Not that they matter within the actual narrative of the story.

The soundtrack choice of "Lloyd's Flashbacks/Banishing Garmadon" is deliberate. Will it come back later on for a plot-relevant finale? You bet it will!

The helicopter and the bamboo grove are taken from the Lego Ninjago Movie, along with a few shots from the "I Wanna Go Out" sequence, including the butterfly.

More Cole and Garmadon parallels in this chapter. The descriptions of Garmadon's corruption are also borrowed from Chapter 15 of Tommy Andreasen's Way of the Departed.

There was going to be a deleted scene where after getting his favorite katana back, Garmadon would remark that he should have replicas made, maybe around 3. Wu would then ask how Garmadon planned to wield all 4 katanas at the same time.

The Forsnaken Island is actually Dark Island but I got the name from the Forsnaken City of Ouroboros.

Hidden meanings:  
Ivory tower – a place or situation in which people make and discuss theories about problems without having any experience with these problems  
Smoke and Mirrors – something that seems good but is not real or effective and that is done to disguise or draw attention away from an unpleasant issue  
Yang – in Chinese philosophy, the male principle of the universe that is considered light and active and is associated with heaven  
Yin - in Chinese philosophy, the female principle of the universe that is considered dark and passive and is associated with earth

* * *

 **Long Overdue Replies:**

 **Zach Greenwood:** I am so sorry it took me forever to write this. Believe me, I would have loved to update as soon as I could. But real life got in the way. I hope you still stick around for more.

 **StoriesAreMagic** : Yes, that was definitely Techno Wu. He's a bit of a spoiler. I'm glad you love my depiction of Master Wu. Sorry he couldn't be hysterical in this chapter. It took a bit of a dark turn. Lighthearted fluff will return soon. "A" son of Garmadon indeed. Are you even more worried about Cole now? Also, more flashbacks, lore and references in this chapter.

 **Guest** : Thank you for saying that. I'm glad you came back. And yes, I also wish I could have been one of the screenwriters.


	16. Disconnected

I know I said the new chapter would be up by the time March of the Oni gets released. But since the official U.S. release date is April 19, I'm not too late now, am I? I'm still slow but I'm not giving up. If you're still reading this, thank you for sticking around. The next chapter will finally reveal Cole's relation to Garmadon. Stay tuned for Chapter 17: The Sons of Garmadon.

There's also a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo of Ultra Dragon in this chapter.

Thanks to Koberoo for the Jasmine tea suggestion for Jay and Nya. And thanks to Evelinaonline for suggesting green tea and black tea for Lloyd and Cole respectively.

* * *

 **Chapter 16:** Disconnected

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - DAY**

The Ninja are busy training in hand-to-hand combat. Blasts of fire and ice clash violently as Kai and Zane spar against each other. A dangerous dance between lightning and water ensues as Jay and Nya counter each other's blows with precision. In the far off corner, Cole trains alone, angrily beating up a practice dummy on his own. He delivers an incredibly strong punch and completely obliterates it.

Meanwhile, Nya hits a pressure point on Jay. The Blue Ninja freezes up and collapses on the floor. The lightning in his hands disappear. Nya then stoops down and hits another pressure point on Jay's shoulder, causing him to unfreeze. Nya helps her boyfriend up and they both laugh.

The door of the warehouse opens, cutting like a knife through any lighthearted mood there was in the warehouse. As Lloyd and Master Wu enter, all of the Ninja suddenly stop training and turn their attention to Wu and Lloyd. Jay is the first one to break the silence.

"So... did Lloyd tell you? That his Dad knows who he is now?"

"Yes, he mentioned something about that." Master Wu replies.

"And?" Nya presses on.

"It was most unfortunate, but it was bound to happen sooner or later." Master Wu continues.

All the Ninja are dumbstruck. They cannot believe how lightly Master Wu is taking Lloyd's revelation to his Dad that he is the Green Ninja.

Lloyd smiles sheepishly.

"And you're okay with this?" Kai questions.

"It was inevitable. All we have to do now is to make the best of our current situation." states Master Wu.

The Ninja all have looks of disbelief on their faces, but Cole lowers his eyelids in a deadpan gaze. He isn't even surprised anymore at this point.

"Anyway, as you were. Everyone, continue training." Master Wu waves the Ninja off.

Slightly confused, the Ninja shrug and continue training.

"As iron sharpens iron, brother sharpens brother!" Master Wu declares.

"And sister!" Nya interjects.

"Yes, and sister!" Master Wu corrects himself. "Sibling sharpens sibling! That is how you can each unlock your true potential!"

While the other Ninja pair up, Cole goes back to the practice dummy. A destructive punch signals that he is in no mood to be paired up with Lloyd, or anyone, at the moment. Lloyd practices Spinjitzu on his own.

While the Ninja are training, Master Wu goes around the warehouse and comments on the training of each of his students.

"Excellent form, Lloyd! Jay, harder! Nya, better! Kai, faster! Zane, stronger! Cole..."

Master Wu looks at Cole as he violently beats up the practice dummy. This triggers a memory in Master Wu. He recognizes a deep anger reminiscent of his sibling. Master Wu's POV is interspersed with brief impressionistic sepia-toned images of young Garmadon doing the exact same thing Cole is doing.

Wu blinks and the figure in front of him turns back into Cole. The practice dummy takes a massive beating as Cole absolutely annihilates it with a flurry of rapid kicks and punches. Before finishing off the dummy with a final blow, Cole backs away from it, runs over to a nearby weapons rack and takes two short axes. Cole throws the axes at the practice dummy. The first ax hits the dummy dead center on the chest and pins it to the wall behind it. The second ax hits the dummy right in the forehead but it is thrown with so much force that it becomes wedged inside the dummy's "skull," having cracked the plastic.

Cole is sweating and panting heavily from his intense workout and pent up frustration. Master Wu stands slightly behind him, out of focus. We then shift our focus to Master Wu.

"Cole, is something troubling you?"

Cole tenses up, then he steels himself, showing no pain and feeling no emotion. He turns around to face Master Wu with the most blank and empty expression he can muster.

"Of course not, Master Wu. Nothing's troubling me."Cole looks away.

"Really? Because my expensive equipment is telling me otherwise."

We go to a quick shot of the destroyed training dummy. The crack in the dummy's skull widens until it splits the whole dummy in half all the way. This causes both halves to fall comically on the floor, as though to punctuate Master Wu's point.

Cole suddenly becomes aware of the damage he has caused. His anger melts away and is replaced with concern for the damaged equipment.

"Sorry, Master Wu. I'll clean it up right away."

Cole bows to Master Wu and gets a broom to clean up the broken remains, salvaging what he can. He starts sweeping away the mess. Master Wu places his hand on Cole's shoulder and Cole instinctively freezes up.

"Cole, I understand the burden of secrets. I, too, have many of my own."

Cole has a grim look on his face. He does not turn around to look at Master Wu.

"It is yours to keep, if you wish." Master Wu continues. "But if you ever think that you are ready, feel free to have a chat with me over tea."

Cole still does not look at Master Wu but his expression softens as he replies.

"Yes, Master Wu."

"I know what will make you feel better. Why don't I play you a song? Perhaps it will speak to you." Master Wu puts his staff to his lips and starts playing it like a flute.

He plays the first 20 seconds of the "The Sacred Flute/The Monastery Burns" by Jay Vincent.

[SONG: The Sacred Flute/The Monastery Burns by Jay Vincent]

As Master Wu plays the song on his flute-staff, a sense of calm inexplicably washes over Cole. His mood significantly improves, almost as if it was not of his own volition. He sweeps the broom to the beat of the music.

We see a clock on the wall showing that it is 4:45 PM. We then go to a wide shot of the Ninja training. The sun sets. Hours pass and the clock now shows that it is 7 PM.

Zane's internal clock rings to signify the time. The sound of the alarm causes the music to abruptly cut off. All the Ninja stop training. Master Wu enters the Secret Ninja Warehouse carrying a tray with six cups of tea. Each cup has the Ninja's signature symbol on it.

"Tea break, everyone! Remember, there is no "I" in "Team," but there is always "Tea.""

All the Ninja head over to Master Wu to grab their respective cups.

"Green tea for Lloyd." Master Wu starts calling out drinks like a barista.

"You know me too well, Uncle." Lloyd remarks.

"Boba for Kai."

"Hit me up with that juice, Master Wu." Kai proudly declares.

"Jasmine for..."

"That's mine! Oh..." Jay and Nya answer simultaneously.

Boyfriend and girlfriend laugh as they both take their respective cups of the same drink.

"Humanitea for Zane."

"My favorite!" Zane exclaims.

"And black tea for Cole..."

Now in a better mood, Cole graciously accepts the cup.

"Mmmm! Black tea! Just how..."

Cole begins speaking but Master Wu instinctively continues the words he's heard before. His voice is tinged with melancholy.

"Just how you like it..."

"...how I like it." Cole finishes.

They both pause for a beat, as though trying to make sense of what they both just said. But the poignant moment is suddenly interrupted by the awkward ringing of Cole's cell phone. The moment is broken before either Master Wu or Cole can find any deeper meaning in their words. The ringtone of Cole's cell phone is Batman's theme song.

[SONG: Batman's Theme Song by Batman]

Everyone stops and looks expectantly at Cole. He takes his phone out and looks at the screen. It shows that it is his Dad, Lou, calling. Cole looks at Zane, giving him a signal. On cue, Zane starts playing "Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy" from his robotic speaker-mouth.

[SONG: Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy]

Cole puts on a facade and speaks in his most chipper "I'm definitely not hiding anything" voice. Lou's voice is a distorted garble, so we don't really hear what he's saying.

"Heeeeyy Dad! Yes, of course I'm still at ballet class."

Zane turns the volume up to really sell the facade. Kai gigglesnorts. Nya frowns and punches him in the arm.

"I'll head home as soon as practice ends. Oh, you're still at the Rebuilding effort? Sure, I can pick up some "Congratulations on surviving another Garmadon attack" cake on the way there. Okay, love you too, Dad! Bye."

In the background, Lloyd looks away. He seems slightly jealous.

Cole ends the phone call. Zane stops playing the music. Kai stifles his laughter as Cole goes off to change his clothes.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Kai." Cole huffs indignantly.

Jay and Nya look disapprovingly at Kai.

"Come on, Kai. Can't you just try to be supportive?" Jay nudges the Red Ninja.

"Yeah, bro. At least Cole still has his Dad." Nya similarly jabs her brother.

Cole takes off his gi for a quick obligatory shirtless scene showing off his ripped abs. He walks behind a screen to change into a new outfit.

"No, it's not that. It's just the mental image of Cole in a tutu." Kai chuckles to Nya, but she is not impressed.

Cole comes out from behind the screen wearing the pink Fairy Batman Ballerina outfit. He has a completely serious expression on his face as he wears it, one that would make Batman proud.

"Personally, I do not understand what Kai finds so funny. I, for one, love seeing you in a tutu." Zane puts his hand on Cole's shoulder, causing the Black Ninja to blush a bright red.

Master Wu walks over to Cole and the blush fades away.

"Master?" Cole tries his best to appear stoic despite his outfit and his conflicted feelings for Master Wu.

Master Wu looks like he wants to say something important but he doesn't.

"You are dismissed, Cole."

"Thank you, Master Wu."

Cole bows in all seriousness and Master Wu gives a little bow in return. Cole leaves the Secret Ninja Warehouse. Upon Cole's departure, Kai calls out to Lloyd.

"Hey Lloyd, shouldn't you be home by now?"

"Nah, I don't have community service today. My mom said she'd call me if I…" Lloyd rummages around in his pocket for his cell phone. He feels something and he swears.

"Oh **Krux**!"

Lloyd takes out the broken remains of his phone. Instead of being a single Lego piece, it is now two black 1x1 tiles of a broken cell phone. There is a large crack splitting the Borg Industries logo in half.

"Krux, no! No, no, no, no!"

Everyone looks over to Lloyd to see what's gotten him so upset.

"Oh dear..." Zane flatly states.

We suddenly slam zoom into Zane's eye and see a video recording of Zane hugging Lloyd and Kai with the audible **CRUNCHING** **NOISE** from before. We then slam zoom back outside of Zane's eyes as he has a look of realization.

"I must apologize, Lloyd. I'm afraid that might have been my fault. When I gave you the birthday hug of increased pressure, I may have accidentally crushed your phone."

"Oh no! What about my phone?"Kai cries out as he takes out a comically large and technologically outdated phone from his pocket. It looks like one of those really old models from the '90s. How it ever managed to fit in his pocket in the first place is a mystery.

"Oh good! My phone is indestructible." Kai affirms.

Clutching his broken cell phone, Lloyd starts to panic.

"Oh this is bad! What do I do? What do I do?"

"What are you waiting for, Lloyd? You need to get home, now!" Nya says with urgency.

Nya takes out her motorcycle keys from her pocket. They are attached to a 1x1 Lego tile with a picture of Lady Iron Dragon's face on it.

"Here! Take my bike! I can build a new one."

Nya tosses her keys over to Lloyd. Lloyd catches them and looks up at Nya with a worried look on his face.

"But I don't have a license yet!" Lloyd blurts out.

"Neither do I!" Nya replies. "Just go!"

"Right!"

Lloyd turns to Master Wu and gives him a small bow.

"Sorry, Uncle, I have to go!"

Master Wu returns the bow in acknowledgement.

"Don't forget what I told you!" Master Wu calls out.

In the background, Kai hastily throws all of Lloyd's birthday gifts into a small green backpack that shouldn't physically be able to contain all the much larger gifts. Kai hands the bag to Lloyd, who slings it over his shoulder.

"Got it, Uncle Wu! Gotta go! Bye!"

Lloyd rides Nya's motorcycle and takes off. As he does this, Master Wu turns back to his students.

"Everyone else, continue training."

The Ninja take their places as Master Wu begins playing the first 24 seconds of "Harder Better Faster Stronger" diegetically on his flute-staff. The other Ninja train to the beat of the music.

[SONG: Harder Better Faster Stronger (flute beatbox cover) by Jack Landstreet]

The music then transitions seamlessly into the actual song of "Harder Better Faster Stronger" by Daft Punk starting from 1:22 onwards.

[SONG: Harder Better Faster Stronger by Daft Punk]

[Work it, Make it, Do it, Makes us]  
Lloyd rides away from the Secret Ninja Warehouse

 **INT. KOKO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT**

The instrumental part of the music continues playing as we see Koko talking to someone on the phone, worried that she does not know where Lloyd is.

"No, no, I don't know where he is. I can't reach him on his phone. No, he hasn't come home from school."

 **EXT. NINJAGO CITY - NIGHT**

[Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger]  
Lloyd rides up a hill overseeing the beautiful nighttime skyline of Ninjago city. Golden leaves blow dramatically in the wind behind him.

 **INT. KOKO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT**

Koko is still pacing around her apartment while talking on the phone.

"No, he did not join forces with his father. That is ridiculous. Like your husband's a saint."

 **EXT. NINJAGO FLOATING MARKET - NIGHT**

The Ninjago Floating Market is comprised of boats floating on canals where the shop owners sell their goods.

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger]  
Lloyd uses the bike to hop from the rooftops of the boats. No one notices him as he does this. He passes by an elderly couple who seem to be doing their marketing.

"Dearie, do you think Jay will like this sea shell?" Edna Walker asks.

"I'm sure he loves all your sea shells, honey." Ed Walker replies.

[More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
Lloyd passes a stall with a sign that says **"Ronin's Snake Oil and Other Curios."** The stall is being manned by a vendor wearing a red rice hat and a mechanical eye patch. He speaks during the instrumental part of the song.

"Venomari spit! Get your Venomari spit right here! The totally safe and regulated way to get green eyes! Now, you too can be like the Green Ninja!"

In front of the stall is a man dressed in brown ninja robes. He has bright green eyes, but they are unfocused. This " **Brown** **Ninja** " does not appear to be thinking clearly. Instead he makes exaggerated martial arts movements while making wild animal sounds.

"Tiger style! RAWR! Python style! HISSSSSSS! Penguin style! KROOOOO!"

Lloyd pays them no mind.

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
We see more shots of Lloyd riding around Ninjago City. The streetlamps illuminate Lloyd to the beat of the music as he passes them by.

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE - NIGHT**

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger,  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
Kai, Zane, Jay, and Nya continue training to the beat of the song, pushing themselves to their limits. Master Wu is still seen "playing" his flute-staff in the background.

 **EXT. NINJAGO DOWNTOWN - NIGHT**

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger,  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
Lloyd forwards the bike right into a building, but instead of crashing into the wall, the bike actually begins climbing up the building vertically. Lego birds fly off in surprise as Lloyd reaches the top.

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger,  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
The Green Ninja then maneuvers the bike from roof top to roof top with ease. It even slides across a satellite dish and jumps on top of the Ninjago Monorail.

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us,  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
Lloyd descends back to ground level as he passes by the same Omakase Sushi restaurant that a young Garmadon used to frequent. Inside the shop, we briefly focus on a gray-skinned lady with a ponytail, wearing **violet** biker clothing and gang tattoos. She eats her sushi using daggers.

 **EXT. KOKO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT**

[Work it harder, Make it better, Do it faster, Makes us stronger,  
More than ever, Hour after, Our work is never over]  
Lloyd parks the Lady Iron Dragon bike in front of the apartment building. The music lowers in volume as the song ends. Lloyd overhears his mom talking loudly on the phone off screen.

"I am trying not to freak out right now but I have called 18 people and I cannot locate my son."

 **INT. APARTMENT HALLWAY - NIGHT**

Lloyd is already wearing his civilian clothing as he tiptoes in the hallway. He carefully takes off his shoes and steps into his slippers. Koko's voice can still be heard off screen from outside her apartment.

"Yes, I know you never wanted him to play with your kids. I just didn't know if maybe..."

 **INT. KOKO'S APARTMENT - NIGHT**

Lloyd opens the door and enters the apartment. Koko turns and calls out to her son, completely relieved.

"Lloyd!"

"Hey, Mom."

"No. I've got him right here. He just walked in. Bye-bye."

Koko hurriedly ends her call with the other person on the line and turns all her attention to her son.

"Oh, my gosh! I was so worried about you!" Koko runs over to Lloyd and hugs him.

"I... I'm fine, Mom."

As Koko releases Lloyd from her embrace, she begins fussing over him.

"Why did we get on a family plan if you're not gonna text me?"

Lloyd shows Koko the broken remnants of his phone. His voice takes on an apologetic tone.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry! Please don't get angry at me!"

Koko sees the broken tiles and speaks in a very serious tone. She sounds angry, but not at Lloyd.

"Who did this?"

"I..."

Koko raises her voice, thinking that some bully did it.

"Who. Did. This?"

"Zane did, but he didn't mean to. It was an accident. Please don't be mad."

Koko lets out a sigh of relief. She calms down a bit.

"I'm not angry, I was just worried."

"I didn't mean to worry you. I love you and I'm sorry."

Koko lovingly strokes Lloyd's hair.

"I don't know what I'd do if anything ever happened to you, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom."

Suddenly, Koko's cell phone buzzes. She sees that she has received a text message from Zane. Zane narrates the text in a voice over.

 _"Hello Mrs. Garmadon. This is Zane, Lloyd's human teenager friend, certainly not a robot and definitely not one of the Secret Ninjas. I am sorry for accidentally destroying Lloyd's phone. LOL! He is on his way home right now. Please don't be angry at him. I promise to build him a new phone out of my spare body parts. Smiley Zane face [:D"_

Koko sighs in relief. She heads over to the refrigerator to fix dinner.

"Well, I'm just really glad that those ninjas saved the day."

Lloyd goes over to a fish bowl and starts feeding some Fishy Food to what looks like a baby version of the Sacred Koi.

"Yeah. Yeah, I was there..."

"What?"

Koko sounds more curious than surprised. Both she and the Baby Sacred Koi turn to face Lloyd. We go to a close up on Lloyd's anxious face. We hear Master Wu speaking in a voice over.

 _"If your mom found out you were the Green Ninja, she would kick my butt, just by staring at me."_

Lloyd tries to cover his tracks.

"Watching... with the other regular kids."

"Okay. Well, you must be starving." Koko tries moving to another topic.

"I don't know, I'm not really that hungry."

Koko takes a plate of dumplings and a bottle of soy sauce from the refrigerator.

"But I'll make your favorite. Dumplings!"

"Oh! Enticing, but I'm just gonna go to bed, I think. Just really tired." Lloyd lets out a false yawn.

"Oh." Koko places the plate of dumplings behind her.

"Good night, Mom."

Lloyd walks out of the room. As he does, he just misses Koko turning around holding a large birthday cake in her hands. Deflated, Koko's smile melts away as she answers back to Lloyd.

"Okay, well, good night."

 **INT. LLOYD'S BEDROOM - NIGHT**

Lloyd enters his bedroom and places the keys to Nya's Lady Iron Dragon bike on his desk. He lies down on his bed and looks directly up at a poster of Iron Man on his ceiling. The caption at the bottom of the poster reads **"I AM IRON MAN!"**

Lloyd sighs. As he raises his arms to put his hands under his head, they brush past a green stuffed toy dragon. It is the same dragon toy from Koko's flashback that Garmadon used to entertain Lloyd with back when he was a baby. The faded sounds of laughter echo in the room as Lloyd takes the dragon in his hands and reminisces.

Suddenly filled with a renewed determination to save his father, Lloyd gets up and turns on his computer. He opens up a video chat with Garmadon. Lloyd needs to see for himself if there really is still some good inside his father. However, lo and behold, it is not Garmadon who picks up, but General Fang.

"Ssssssoooo... the prodigal ssssson returnsssss..." General Fang hisses.

"Oh, it's you. Look Skaleface..." Lloyd seems personally acquainted with General Fang, but they don't see eye to eye.

"That's **General** **Fang** to you!" General Fang replies in a snippy tone.

"Whatever! I just wanted to talk to my Dad."

"Ssssssuit yourself..."

From the screen, Lloyd watches as General Fang brings Garmadon's laptop to another room full of statues. Garmadon is busy admiring the large buildable figure statues of the **THREE** **ONI** **WARLORDS** wearing their respective Oni masks. They resemble the ones previously seen in the murals. Furthermore, their shoulder pauldrons appear to be adorned with the skulls of **slain** **dragons**.

"Sssssir, your sssssson would like a word." General Fang interrupts Garmadon's musings.

"Aaaahh! What? Luh-loyd?" Garmadon is taken by surprise as he tries to use his four arms to block the statues from view. This is clearly not something he wants Lloyd to see.

Garmadon moves the camera to the side then slides into an almost gloating kind of composure in front of his son. So sure is he of Lloyd's return to darkness.

"So Luh-loyd, have you finally found your inner darkness? Ready to come back to the side of evil?"

"What? No, that's not why I called!" Lloyd answers.

"Then why did you call?" Garmadon is intrigued.

"I need to know the truth."

Lloyd concentrates and his eyes shine bright green as he peeks into Garmadon's soul. Trying to see into one's soul is more difficult when done through a webcam. The image of **SOUL GARMADON** is shadowed and blurry, as though seen through a grain filter. He has short, black tousled hair but it is hard to make out. Otherwise, he looks just like corrupted Garmadon but with yellow skin and only two arms. He still has the same red eyes. Soul Garmadon calls out to Lloyd.

"Everything I do, I do for you, **Lloyd**!"

Lloyd breaks eye contact with Garmadon and he smiles confidently.

"That's all I needed to know."

Lloyd closes the video chat and the screen says "Chat Disconnected."

 **INT. GARMADON'S STATUE ROOM - NIGHT**

Garmadon and General Fang stand confused in the statue room. We see the other statues that were not visible in Lloyd's video chat. They are statues of young Garmadon and young Lady Iron Dragon in battle poses. If Lloyd had seen the statue of young Garmadon, he would have noticed the resemblance to Cole immediately.

"What truth? I didn't say anything." Garmadon asks, completely perplexed.

General Fang shrugs in response.

 **INT. LLOYD'S BEDROOM - NIGHT**

Lloyd hastily writes a note and leaves it on his desk, right next to the keys to Nya's Lady Iron Dragon bike. Lloyd then stealthily climbs out of his apartment window and leaves.

* * *

Cameos galore in this chapter: Ultra Dragon, Ed and Edna Walker, Ronin, Dareth, Ultra Violet.

Cole's use of axes comes is a reference to that time he was a lumberjack.

"Krux" is a swear word in this version. It's much shorter than "Holy First Spinjitzu Master!" and it sounds better.

Master Wu playing the hymn of the Sacred Flute, I wonder if that'll come back later on.

I really tried to keep the "Hard Knock Life" sequence in this chapter, but without the set up in the movie, it seemed to come out of nowhere. So I had to change it to "Harder Better Faster Stronger."

Just as Cole idolizes Batman, Lloyd looks up to Iron Man. No wonder he thought it was a good idea to reveal his secret identity.

Three Oni Warlords with three Oni Masks. I wonder how this will play into the plot.

I know I mentioned before that I will be writing two series of oneshots and I will get to them... eventually. But first, I plan to write an unrelated fic called "Alternate Endings." It will be based on Episode 98: Endings and it is exactly what it is called. It will feature possible ways to end the episode that fix the plot hole of Cole's survival and also tie it back into the main plot.

* * *

 **Long Overdue Replies:**

 **Zach Greenwood:** Don't worry. I've got a lot more in store. I'm just a little slow. I'll keep on updating until I see this through to the end.

 **StoriesAreMagic:** Garmadon and Cole's fates are very much intertwined. Does the Warhammer foreshadow anything? I don't know, but you'll find out how Cole and Garmadon are related in the next chapter, "The Sons of Garmadon." And the info on the Great Devourer is definitely not a throwaway, very few exposition lines are. Everything will come back to close the circle. I promise. As for the flashbacks, yes, something fishy is definitely going on. And congratulations for being more perceptive than Lloyd.


	17. Wild Dragon Chase

A/N: The original title of this chapter was "The Sons of Garmadon Part 1" because it was planned to be one chapter that I split into 2. But I realize that in doing so, the first half no longer has anything to do with the Sons of Garmadon. So I changed the title to "Wild Dragon Chase"

 **BELATED HAPPY SECOND YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE!** Don't think for a second that I've given up on this. Ninja never quit! It's just that I have to come to terms with the fact that I am a slow writer and I apologize for the delay. I planned to post this on the actual date of the anniversary but I got sick. Also, I've reached a point where if I rush into the story, I could very easily write myself into a corner. As it is, I already very narrowly did but I was still able to work around that. Please understand that this is a huge endeavor and I want to be able to deliver Hollywood-level storytelling. To do that for free, it requires time and effort.

Anyway, since I have such long gaps in between updates, I'll be providing helpful recaps at the start of every chapter from now on, so you don't have to keep going back to previous chapters. This will also help keep track of the ongoing plot threads. I intend to fully address and resolve them all by the end.

 **Previously on Ninjago...**

"You... you saved my life." Nya looks at Officer Toque with a worried look on her face.  
"It's what I swore to do." Officer Toque replies weakly. – **Chapter 8**

"Hey kid, don't cry! Here's a new balloon!" Jay says as he hands over the balloon.  
"Yay! Thanks Blue Ninja!" The kid takes balloon by the string.  
Jay leaves. The balloon begins lifting the kid up into the air. – **Chapter 9**

Lloyd reveals himself as the Green Ninja. "That's right! I'm your son! The one you almost killed today!"  
"Do not worry. My sensors detect no other life signs within hearing range." Zane informs the others. – **Chapter 11**

"Kai? You're the best present?" Lloyd asks.  
"Consider this a solid favor IOU." Kai admits. "Ask me to do anything for you, anything at all and it is done!"

Master Wu is suddenly intimidated by Master Chicken and he goes into a defensive stance with his staff. He and Master Chicken don't seem to have the best relationship or even see each others as equals. They both squint at each other in a sort of showdown, challenging each other's authority, until Cole breaks the tension.

"...because why do I have to keep saving everyone and they still don't get to know that I AM THE GREEN NINJA!" Lloyd declares as he angrily stamps his foot on the ground and simultaneously brings his hands down for emphasis. Unbeknownst to him, a blast of Golden Power bursts out and emanates from Lloyd's body. The Golden Power spreads to the surrounding Lego pieces and starts dismantling the nearby Lego brick-built structures. – **Chapter 13**

We hear a clicking sound and Master Chicken's black eyes are replaced by icy blue ones. A beam of light shines from her eyes to scan the surrounding area, indicating she is either a robot like Zane or a cyborg. – **Chapter 14**

"Then why don't we just get some of the Great Devourer's venom, create an anti-venom and give it to my dad so he won't be evil anymore?" Lloyd asks.  
"NO! ABSOLUTELY OUT OF THE QUESTION!" Master Wu angrily replies. "It is too dangerous. Not worth the risk! If the Great Devourer escapes her prison, all of Ninjago would be in grave danger! She will devour everything in her path. And she would not stop with Ninjago. The Other Realms would also be in peril." – **Chapter 15**

"I'll head home as soon as practice ends." Cole speaks in his most chipper "I'm definitely not hiding anything" voice. "Oh, you're still at the Rebuilding effort? Sure, I can pick up some "Congratulations on surviving another Garmadon attack" cake on the way there. Okay, love you too, Dad! Bye."

Lloyd walks out of the room. As he does, he just misses Koko turning around holding a large birthday cake in her hands. Koko's smile melts away as she answers back.  
Lloyd hastily writes a note and leaves it on his desk, right next to the keys to Nya's Lady Iron Dragon bike. Lloyd then stealthily climbs out of his apartment window and leaves. – **Chapter 16**

* * *

 **EXT. CANAL BY THE BRIDGE – NIGHT**

Zane, Kai, Nya and Master Chicken return to the Bridge of Orphans, Puppies and Persons with Disabilities by riding atop the Sacred Koi. The Ninja are now all wearing their civilian outfits. Upon disembarking, they all graciously thank the Sacred Koi for being kind enough to offer them a ride home.

"Thank you, Friend."Zane gently strokes the Sacred Koi. "We are indebted to you and we shall continue protecting those who cannot protect themselves."

"Thanks for the ride, Sacred Koi!" Nya gives her a hug.

"You're the best, Sacred Koi!" Kai feeds her some fish food from a 1x1 fishy food Lego tile, the same kind Lloyd previously used to feed the baby version of the Sacred Koi. However, because the Sacred Koi is much larger than her offspring and so little fish food comes out of the box, Kai gives up and tosses the entire box in her mouth.

"Bok bok!" Master Chicken clucks.

The subtitles below Master Chicken read "Oh most Esteemed Empress of the Ocean Realm, we humble ground-dwellers wish to express our eternal gratitude for you gift of travels."

The Sacred Koi gives a small bow in return and retreats into the canal waters without saying a word.

Kai, Nya, Zane and Master Chicken turn back and walk toward the Bridge. They pass by the statue of Cyrus Borg on a wheelchair holding aloft the Techno Blade. While walking, Nya remarks how glad she is to be back home.

"Home sweet home!"

"I am grateful the The Bridge has sustained minimal damage and remains completely intact." Zane replies.

Without warning, a lamp post falls right in front of Zane, Kai, and Nya, blocking their path. The three of them stop in their tracks, surprised.

"Correction. Only mostly intact." Zane comments.

The three Ninja make their way around the fallen lamp post. The new path brings Kai close to a poster on a wall. He catches sight of it and begins reading, intrigued. Zane and Nya don't take notice and continue walking.

The poster on the wall reads **"KILLOW'S UNDERGROUND FIGHTING TOURNAMENT"**. Beneath the text is the looming image of a burly gray-skinned Lego Bigfig character with tattoos all over his body. He wears a black biker's outfit with orange accents. The camera pans down to the text on the lower half of the picture, which reads "Defeat the reigning champion, Mr. E, and win the cash prize." The image accompanying this text is that of a Lego minifig whose face is hidden behind a black helmet and a red visor. He wears a black biker's outfit with red accents. Kai does not notice how the insignia on Mr. E's jacket is identical to Cole's Black Ninja symbol.

"Ooooohh!" Kai gawks.

Master Chicken notices Kai's sudden interest in the poster and flies toward it. She takes one look at the poster and angrily flies toward it, as though she has had a personal history with this Killow. She furiously tears the poster off the wall and rips it to shreds. She then forcefully pushes Kai back toward the entrance of a building where Nya and Zane are waiting.

"Bok bokkok BOK bokkok bok!" The subtitles read "Don't even THINK about it!"

 **INT. HOME FOR ORPHANS, PUPPIES, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES –NIGHT**

Kai and Master Chicken catch up with Zane and Nya as they enter the building. Various children, puppies and Lego minifigs with missing body pieces can be seen roaming around the building. Zane's internal alert beeps and his eyes flash a bright blue light.

"Oh! It appears the new Borg software update is available! I will go download it now."

"Hey Zane, while you're downloading the update, mind if I borrow your laptop?" Kai asks.

"Of course, you may borrow the top of my lap, Kai." Zane pulls out a laptop from his pants pocket. "Master Chicken, could you please see to it that Kai does not download any viruses this time?"

Master Chicken nods as Zane hands the laptop over to Kai.

"Sweet, thanks! I'm just gonna check my Chirp account." Kai says.

"Well, if you boys are busy, I've got more important stuff to do." Nya begins to walk away.

"Yeah? Like what?" Kai crosses his arms.

"There's a "Get well soon" card I need to make." Nya answers sincerely. "Besides, I gotta work on my watercolors."

"Alright, sis! Catch you later." Kai waves at Nya.

The three Ninja separate and they each go on their different paths. In the background, a bunch of kids walk by. Another kid runs after them. He is the same kid Jay previously gave a non-Lego balloon to. In fact, he is still tangled up in balloon strings as he drags the remains of the popped balloon behind him.

"Wait! Lloyd Garmadon really is the Green Ninja! You have to believe me! I saw it with my own eyes!"

The kid trips on the tangled up balloon strings and falls to the ground. We go to his POV as he looks up. A girl with white hair approaches him. Aside from the white hair, she looks exactly like a young version of Lloyd's mom, Koko.

"I believe you." **HARUMI** says as she helps the balloon kid up.

 **EXT. AREA NEAR THE REBUILDING EFFORT – NIGHT**

Carrying his green backpack, Lloyd sneaks out and makes his way toward The Bridge on foot. He pulls off several impressive parkour moves, jumping from one building rooftop to another.

Along the way, Lloyd sees that the Rebuilding effort is still ongoing. The citizens of Ninjago are still hard at work repairing their damaged buildings. They are still singing and dancing to the tune of "Rebuild this city!" with Lou of the Royal Blacksmiths in the lead.

Lloyd stops on a nearby rooftop and peers down to take a closer look. He sees Cole, now wearing a sleeveless blue shirt, helping with the Rebuilding effort. Using his super strength, Cole picks up debris and stacks the Lego bricks on top of each other to the beat of the music.

Leaning closer, Lloyd watches as Lou goes over to Cole and lovingly ruffles his son's hair. Another member of the Royal Blacksmiths walks in carrying a chocolate cake which is considerably smaller than Lloyd's own birthday cake he never got to see. Cole puts down the Lego bricks and cuts the cake into several slices, sharing it among himself and the Royal Blacksmiths. Whether it is real or not, Cole's smile is convincing.

Lloyd feels a pang of envy at seeing this. We slowly zoom in on Lloyd's face as he feels a surge of emotions he cannot contain. There is a shimmering sound and golden sparkles begin to float around him. We suddenly pull back to a medium shot as he notices the Golden Power emanating from his body. Lloyd is still going through his power incontinence phase. As before, the Golden Power begins dismantling the rooftop structure.

"Huh! What?"

Lloyd gasps and shakes his head, trying to get a hold of himself. He inhales and exhales deeply as the Golden Power fades and the Lego bricks fall back into place. Lloyd shrugs off his feelings and focuses on the task at hand. There is no time to lose. Lloyd continues making his way to The Bridge.

 **INT. KAI'S BEDROOM – NIGHT**

In Kai's tiny, cramped bedroom, the walls are covered in pictures of his and Nya's parents. The camera pans across the rest of the wall and we see newspaper clippings of articles on their missing parents. We finally end the panning shot on a strip of paper from a fortune cookie. The Fortune Prophecy reads "You can't spell 'present' without 'resent.' Santa Krux will take away your parents tonight. Merry Kruxmas!" The photos, newspaper clippings and Fortune Prophecy all have slightly burned edges.

We go to a medium shot of Kai and Master Chicken in the bedroom. Kai is busy typing away at his Chirp account on Zane's laptop. Master Chicken is busy meditating in a corner.

Suddenly, Lloyd's head pops into the bedroom's small window.

"Hey Kai!" Lloyd greets.

Kai is surprised by the sudden intrusion and reacts defensively and instinctively.

"NO I AM NOT USING SOCIAL MEDIA TO FILL THE VOID OF LACKING PARENTAL FIGURES!"

Kai then notices that it's just Lloyd entering through the window and speaks normally.

"Oh hey Lloyd, it's just you! What'cha doing here, bro?"

"You busy, Kai?"

"Nah, just checking my Red Ninja Chirp account. I finally hit 10,000 subscribers."

"I'm glad you get to validate yourself through social media, buddy, but I've got something more important to ask you. I'm gonna have to call in that favor."

Lloyd places his green backpack on Kai's futon. He starts rummaging though it, trying to pull something out.

We suddenly cut to Master Chicken. Her eye snaps open and she tries to listen in on Kai and Lloyd's conversation. But all she hears are hushed whispers. Kai and Lloyd notice Master Chicken eavesdropping in on their conversation and they stop talking.

Kai hurriedly shuts the laptop, thrusts it towards Master Chicken, and shoves her out the door before she can even react.

"Thanksforthelaptop. Gonnadoboystuffnow. Kaybye!"

Kai slams the door in her face. When Master Chicken recovers from her stunned state, she presses her head against the door to continue listening in on their conversation.

"So let me get this straight." Kai speaks off screen. "You want me to help you find this giant poisonous snake, yank out one of its fangs, and extract its antivenom so you can turn your Dad good again?"

Master Chicken's eyes widen in shock as she hears this.

"Pretty much." Lloyd replies from behind the door.

"And you want to do all this completely unsupervised?"

"Look, if I told anyone else, they'd probably think it was a terrible idea and try to stop me." Lloyd openly confesses to Kai.

"Well, it's a good thing I happen to be an expert on terrible ideas." Kai exclaims triumphantly. "I'd be honored to join you on your super dangerous quest where a million things could possibly go wrong!"

We go to a close up shot of Master Chicken panicking as she hears this. Carrying the laptop, she flies off to warn the other Ninja.

 **INT. DOCTOR JULIEN'S LIVING QUARTERS – NIGHT**

A panicked Master Chicken bursts into the living quarters of the Julien Family. It is much larger than Kai's single-person bedroom. Master Chicken sees an old man with white hair lying on a medical bed. He is strapped to a ventilator and an IV bag. The clipboard attached to the end of his bed reads "Doctor Julien."

Master Chicken decides it is not worth disturbing the old man's rest, even with her urgent concern. Instead, she flies directly toward Zane, dropping the laptop in front of him. Master Chicken begins clucking but she keeps her voice down so as not to awaken Doctor Julien.

"Bok bokkok bok bokkok bok bokokokokokok!" The subtitles read "Kai and Lloyd are attempting to unleash the Great Devourer!"

We pan up to Zane's face and that he is not responding. In fact, does not have any facial reaction. In the part of his face where his eyes should be, Zane instead has a loading bar showing the progress of the Borg update. It is currently at 23%. Master Chicken tries pecking on him to wake him up.

Suddenly, a robot computer looms over Master Chicken. This is Zane's mother and Doctor Julien's computer wife. She makes angry modem dial up noises. She shoos Master Chicken away from Zane and Doctor Julien like the overprotective mother she is.

Once again, Master Chicken finds herself unceremoniously pushed out the door. Undeterred, she flies off to warn Nya.

 **EXT. ROOFTOP – NIGHT**

On an empty rooftop overlooking The Bridge, Nya has all the empty space she needs to focus on her artistic talents. In front of her are a large white sheet of paper and a non-Lego set of watercolor paints. Nya herself wields a non-Lego paintbrush as though it were a spear. She executes several martial arts moves, gracefully dipping her paintbrush into the watercolors and splashing the vibrant hues on the sheet of paper.

To the casual viewer, Nya would appear to be just like any other painter working on an artwork. But a closer look would reveal the watercolors actually moving along with her elegant motions. Perfectly calm and serene, Nya is one with the water.

Alas, this tranquility would not last when suddenly...

 **BAM!**

The door to the rooftop slams open and a panicked Master Chicken comes flying in, clucking incoherently like a deranged lunatic.

The sudden disturbance causes Nya to lose concentration. Her paints end up splashing everywhere, ruining her painting. She lets out a infuriated groan.

"Auugghh! This had better be important."

"Bok bokkok bok bokkok bok bokokokokokok!" The subtitles read "Kai and Lloyd are attempting to unleash the Great Devourer!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Slow down, Master Chicken. I can't understand what you're saying at all."

Master Chicken repeats her message very slowly and loudly.

"Bok. Bokkok. Bok. Bokkok. Bok. Bokokokokokok!" The subtitles read "Kai. And Lloyd. Are attempting. To unleash. The Great Devourer."

"Yeah, I still can't make any sense of that." Nya answers in a deadpan tone.

Completely exasperated, Master Chicken launches into a furious tirade of clucking. Her eyes glow blue and electric sparks begin emanating from her body. She starts glitching out.

This continues for several seconds, occasionally interrupted by a bored and uninterested Nya going "uh-huh" seemingly understanding Master Chicken.

Suddenly, a moment of false realization hits Nya.

"Oh. Oh! I get it!"

Master Chicken stops and looks at Nya, believing for a brief moment that she had somehow gotten through to the Water Ninja.

 **HARD CUT TO: EXT. MAIN FRONT DOOR OF THE HOME FOR ORPHANS, PUPPIES, AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES – NIGHT**

Nya unceremoniously drops Master Chicken on the ground outside the main front door.

"Now, you can go to the bathroom outside."

Nya goes back inside and shuts the door. A confused Master Chicken tries to stop her.

"Bok!" The subtitles say "Wait!"

No one at The Bridge can or will listen to Master Chicken. But she may still have one last shot. With unfailing determination, Master Chicken makes her way toward the Destiny's Bounty.

 **CUT TO: INT. DESTINY'S BOUNTY – NIGHT**

Inside the cabin of the Destiny's Bounty, Master Wu feverishly pores over various scrolls and parchments. A flickering candle provides the only illumination. We see a handful of waiver forms meant to be signed by the Ninja absolving Master Wu of any legal liability, should they be injured. The names on the forms read "Lloyd Garmadon, Zane Julien, Jay Gordon-Walker, Kai Smith, Nya Smith, and **Cole Steele**." The forms have not been signed.

Master Wu reads through them once more before he stops and sighs. Warily, he looks around the cabin to make sure that no one else is there. Master Wu slowly takes out a crumpled Fortune Prophecy from underneath his beard. We don't see what is written on it but a close up shot of Master Wu's face reveals that he carries the weight of years of regret. He shuts his eyes then inhales and exhales deeply.

While Master Wu's eyes are closed, behind him, Lloyd's hand deftly reaches in from the window and snatches the map to Forsnaken Island in a stealthy ninja move.

Suddenly sensing someone else's presence, Master Wu snaps his eyes back open and hurriedly stuffs the Fortune Prophecy back into his beard. He grabs his staff, whirls it around and takes a defensive position. Master Wu looks around himself but no one is there. He does not realize that the map has disappeared. Instead, he listens intently for any sounds around him.

Master Wu immediately hears the distant sounds of frantic clucking. Alarmed, he hurriedly scoops up every scroll and parchment. Putting out the candle, he leaves no trace that he was ever there. Giving his rice hat a twirl, Master Wu inexplicably disappears underneath it like a true ninja.

The sound of frantic clucking grows louder until eventually, Master Chicken arrives at the Destiny's Bounty. She sees that the cabin is completely empty. As far as she knows, Master Wu is not there. Thinking quickly, she flies off to the Secret Ninja Warehouse.

 **INT. SECRET NINJA WAREHOUSE – NIGHT**

Master Chicken enters the Secret Ninja Warehouse and sees a vacant spot where the Green Dragon Mech should be. She rushes to the window and just catches the tail end of the Green Dragon Mech as it silently takes off into the night sky. Master Chicken calls out.

"Bok! Bok bok bok bokokbok!" The subtitles read "Wait! I'm not done repairing that yet!"

But it is no use. Kai and Lloyd do not hear her and the Green Dragon Mech gradually disappears beyond Master Chicken's reach. She swears in resignation.

"Bok... bok." The subtitles read "Well... **cluck.** "

* * *

 **A/N:** I know I said the connection between Cole and Garmadon would be revealed in this chapter but I had to split the chapter into 2 parts, since I'm struggling to balance a fight sequence and an exposition dump in the second half.

I know the actual reason why Cole and Mr. E share the same symbol on their minifigs is because it's the letter E in the Ninjago alphabet and it stands for "Earth" but I decided to take the connection a step further.

My greatest regret is that I didn't introduce Harumi earlier back in one of the classroom scenes. Now, I've had to introduce her at The Bridge, which implies she's an orphan. This is what I mean by writing myself into a corner. I must write carefully or else there are repercussions, and now Harumi doesn't get a happy life with her living biological parents.

On the other hand, my delays have allowed me to incorporate aspects of season 11 into the chapters, such as Master Chicken sparking lightning.  
The surname "Steele" is based on Kirby Morrow's (Cole's voice actor) head canon for Cole's surname.

Yes, I'm sure that once those waivers are signed, absolutely nothing bad will happen to the Ninja. The waivers are actually from the Lego Ninjago movie novelization.  
Tune in next time for (the actual) The Sons of Garmadon. Follow me at **NinjagoProjectRebuild** on Facebook and **NinjagoRebuild** on Twitter for more updates.

* * *

 **Long Overdue Replies:**

 **Guest:** I'm not saying that Cole is Garmadon's secret other child. But I'm not saying he can't be a Son of Garmadon. You **almost got it** with the theory about Cole's mom.

 **Bookkeeper2004:** I'm soooo happy you think it's perfect! I've worked hard for this level of perfection. I don't want to deliver anything less than that. As the Lego motto goes, "Only the best is good enough."

 **StoriesAreMagic:** Omigosh! I'm sorry I've had to make you wait again for the revelation of Cole's relation to Garmadon. But all the pieces are already there if you know where to look. Yes, Cole does have secrets. It's not just Wu. This chapter has a handful of cameos but they will impacting the plot soon enough. And now you know what Lloyd is up to.

 **Zach Greenwood:** I am so sorry it took me so long! I really wish I could be a faster writer. But I am slow.


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